Death Without Dishonor
by Baylina
Summary: When Itachi brings Aian, a survivor of the Seikatsu clan, to Konoha, they form an irrevocable bond. But inevitably dark choices await the two friends - choices that will work to drive them apart at any cost. A story of friendship and redemption.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This story is written largely in the first person POV—specifically that of my OC who is the main narrator in the story. It closely follows the canon. Though it has the least amount of reviews, I feel this story reflects my best work. And, to be honest, the reviews I have received for it are some that I value the most. If you are looking for something different, I suggest you give it a try. And if you don't believe me, then read the opinions of the people who did.

_**Summary:**_ Aian, one of the mysterious and nomadic blood users known as the Seikatsu, is thrown into total disarray after the murder of her clan. Having wandered for the majority of her life, the stationary idea of 'home' in Konoha is almost overwhelming, until she meets someone carrying a very similar burden. Uchiha Itachi, a quiet and determined prodigy, is facing a choice that threatens to destroy everything he ever loved. Unsurprisingly, the two form a friendship—one that remains throughout the years—as they battle their inner demons and the pain that comes from making sacrifices.

* * *

**Chapter One**

* * *

My breathing refused to steady as I inhaled the icy air in quick sharp gasps. The rigid stone behind me cut into my back with ample force, but I wouldn't yield. I couldn't. Not with a Daraku shinobi hunting me. With quivering hands, frozen by the chill in the wind, I raised my kanon and gripped the hilt of the weapon with what little strength remained in my body. _One shot left in the krystak. I can't afford to miss. _The little tube inserted into the magazine had enough of my blood to form a bullet of just enough power to penetrate my enemy's shield, but if I should fail, it would be the end of the hunt.

He was drawing nearer; the closer he came, the weaker I felt. _Focus, you fool!_ I struggled to shield myself. If I didn't feed him, he couldn't use my weakness to fuel his power. "Come now Seikatsu. What use is there in running? Have you not lost everything already?"

The cruel bastard. I struggled to block the painful reminders of the past fortnight. When one loses her history, her future, and her way of life, she is left with very little hope. Such was my predicament. However, despite my circumstances, I was not about to yield to my enemy. I would pierce my own heart with my darya before I dared allow this malevolent beast such glorifying satisfaction.

A flash of light was the only warning I received before the boulder at my back exploded into millions of pebbles. I rolled away from the rain of stone daggers and cursed as my leg refused to cooperate. The pain in my calf and the warm trickle of blood was enough evidence of my wound. Stubbornly, I tried to rise, forcing my useless leg to follow the rest of me as I half staggered, half dragged myself to the shelter of another stone. I had to feel along the way, as my eyes could hardly see two feet in any one direction. The last thing I wanted was to topple off the ledge and into the canyon. The fall was far enough that I would have plenty of time to think about my mistakes. _If only you were here, Devi, Nemain._

But they were dead and I would join them if I couldn't find a way to outwit my pursuer.

I braced myself against the ledge and tuned out my surroundings, willing myself to focus. I searched for a spark of life in the bitter gray, a chakra that only the Daraku possessed. If I could find that link, I could find my opponent. My muddled brain fought against my attempts to concentrate, but I held fast, and as seconds passed I felt the tension in my limbs loosen and the agonizing sense of self-failure slowly fade into the shadows. This was my battle and I _would _retaliate.

A glow in the distance gave me the information I needed. He was forming seals, calling his power. I could not see his body, but the light of his chakra was the only guide I required. Now that I was heeding my surroundings, I could feel him chant the necessary words of calling. There was not a doubt in my mind that I would die if he completed it.

The weapon in my hand felt heavy, but I lifted it once again and pointed it in the direction of the chakra presence. I felt my kanon pulse in response, my blood seethed within the krystak, begging for release. There would be no other opportunity and with little thought, I pulled the trigger and watched as the silver bullet, created from my blood, gleamed in the air and broke through the Daraku's barrier with an explosion of such magnitude that one might think a star had fallen from the sky.

It was the last thing I remember before I fell into a dreamy blackness.

* * *

Uchiha Itachi stiffened as another wave of snow descended from the sky and settled on his cloak. They were finally at the base of the mountains. With a stroke of his gloved hand, he brushed the flakes away before raising it, signaling his teammates to halt. The change in terrain called for an adjustment in the strategy. Hunting a person on his home turf was a prominent disadvantage, and if Itachi wasn't careful, a single mistake could jeopardize his task.

His three other team members were all wrapped in cloaks to fight the bitter weather, their identities a mystery because of the porcelain animal masks they wore to conceal their features. This mission was given to them by the Hokage to carry out in the utmost secrecy, and as members of ANBU, they were some of the most qualified Shinobi in the entire village to complete this task. However, it was the sixth day of the mission and they were no closer to zeroing in on their target than they had been back in the greener, and much warmer, climate of the Fire Country.

He considered Sandaime's orders.

"_There is a group of wandering shinobi known as the Seikatsu who currently reside in the Snow Country. For generations they have fought against the Daraku, a clan of ninja with a terrifying bloodline limit." The old man spoke gravely, worry etched into the worn lines of his face._

"_Bloodline limit?" Bloodline limits were powers or characteristics passed down through lineage. Itachi knew of a few, including his own Sharingan eyes, but bloodline limits were rare and it was always intriguing to learn of new ones. _

"_It is said that the Daraku have the ability to halt the flow of time. They temporarily paralyze their enemies and use their opponents' chakra against them. They essentially have the ability to turn one against oneself."_

_Itachi was momentarily puzzled though it surfaced as a mere frown, "It is not genjutsu?"_

"_There are few that have seen a Daraku and even fewer that have lived to tell the tale. But according to their stories, the Daraku bloodline limit does not capture the opponent in illusion."_

"_And what of the clan that hunts them? The Seikatsu?"_

_Sarutobi sighed, removing his pipe from his mouth and holding it while a steady stream of smoke escaped his lips. "The Seikatsu are even more of a mystery. They do not associate themselves with any of the five shinobi nations or the smaller countries. I myself know no more than the basics."_

"_However, recently we received an anonymous avian message asking for assistance in the Snow Country. I believe it is from the leader of the Seikatsu." He paused, calmly analyzing the masked sharingan user with a troubled expression. "And this is where your mission begins. I want you and three other ANBU members to travel to the Snow Country and attempt to seek out the Seikatsu. Be wary though, Itachi. Not many know the nature of either of these clans. This could very well be a trap."_

Itachi was curious to meet the fabled feuding clans and since this was his first mission in another country as an ANBU captain, he was determined to succeed. But things weren't boding well. The further his team went into the Snow Country, the worse the weather was becoming. He doubted things would improve when they reached the mountains, but something urged him onwards. If he were part of a blood feud, surely he would take advantage of the rocky terrain and shelter offered by the giant peaks and steep slopes.

"Let's split up and meet back here at sundown." He finally stated after a moment of contemplation, withdrawing a kunai and firmly implanting it into the trunk of the nearest tree. "Confirm the location of our target but do not engage in battle. Understood?"

His three team members nodded and bounded off in opposite directions. Itachi could hear their responses carrying quietly in the wind. He hesitated a moment before moving off, ascertaining his surroundings wholly before attempting to progress further into the unknown. Feeling safer on higher ground, Itachi leapt up onto the branch of the nearest tree, using the elevation to keep an eye out below. His breath came out in icy soft spurts as it escaped the confines of his mask. At least consistent movement kept him thawed.

Progress was slow at first. Climbing mountains in a blizzard was proving difficult as he attempted to find the safest routes up the ledges. Several times he paused to listen, but the only sound the mountain had to offer was the steady groan of wind as it ripped malevolently past him. He focused chakra in his hands and feet to provide enough stability while he leapt up the side. If this was the worst of his mission, he decided, he was going to be lucky.

* * *

"Is she dead?" The shallow echo of a man's voice resonated in my head, but I could hardly register his words. "Jirou, go and investigate."

"I will return in a moment, Katsuro-sama." There was unmasked hesitance in the response and I noted the sluggishness of his footsteps. Clearly this man feared the thing he approached.

I attempted to sort out my thoughts. Where was I? Where were Devi and Nemain? And why was I so damn cold? With a bit of effort, I commanded my hand to move a bit, but a shooting pain throughout my fingers forced me to stop. The footsteps drew nearer and it dawned on me that perhaps I was the object of the man's fear. _A man?_ Suddenly, the memories returned in a burst of recognition and my eyes shot open in a surge of terror. These men were my enemies.

The footsteps halted a few feet away but I didn't dare move. _Let him believe me dead…_ I willed my body still and fought to keep my hand from reaching my kanon buried beneath a layer of snow, only to remember that I had used up all the blood in the krystak against the last Daraku. There was no time to make another batch of ammunition, not in my current state. I hardly had the strength to move, let alone form the necessary seals to imbue my blood. Perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to convince them of my death; if I looked as bad as I felt, I doubted any there would debate whether I still walked with the living.

"She looks to be dead, my lord." Jirou spoke from where he last halted, not having dared to tread closer. "It looks like she and Mei finished one another off."

"Tell me, Jirou, how is it possible to proclaim her dead, if you have not stepped within five feet of her body?" The man's tone was laced in arrogance and filled with irritation. If conditions were different, I might have laughed at such a nature. And then I would have embedded a bullet in his head.

The man opened his mouth to protest; I could hear him searching for words, but he wisely decided against it, and with pursed lips, he moved closer. I bit my lip to refrain from moving away. The vile stench of this man filled my nostrils and the aura of danger increased the speed of my racing heart. It was a wonder that he couldn't hear it beating. The air was still, the surrounding mountainous woods silent. For a moment, I felt suspended in time and I thought he might walk away, but then he placed a shaking hand on my wrist to feel for a pulse and I jerked in response. My wrists were always tender to touch for they bore the marks of my battle.

I heard him curse and retreat back a few paces in fright. "Katsuro-sama!"

In the span of a breath, I ejected the krystak and opened the tube while reaching for my darya, the knife every Seikatsu shinobi used to break the skin. I drew it across my left wrist, piercing my own flesh, and felt the familiar sensation of untainted power as blood, silver as the swords the men wielded, trickled steadily into the tube. Seikatsu have an extra vein connected to the chakra circulatory system that enables us to use our blood as a weapon. Or at least, in my case, that was my primary use for it at that moment.

I don't remember standing, but somehow I ended up on my two feet, supporting myself by bracing my shoulder against the nearest rocky ledge. This was dangerous terrain to fight and with the canyon at my back, I was in the worse position. The former wound in my calf began to bleed again, the frozen scab ripped open by my erratic movements. It was soaking through my already damp pants, melting the ice accumulated from my unconscious slumber, until a mixture of blood and snow turned the frozen ground a rusty color.

It took one glance at each of my opponents to note I was sorely outnumbered. There were four of them, all dressed in the traditional white and gray garments worn by Daraku shinobi. Their cloaks bended brilliantly in the snow swept landscape and I felt anger replacing my bitterness.

"Come without a fight Seikatsu and it will be more pleasant for you." The arrogant man was watching me with subdued curiosity, the amber eyes of his clan running along the lines of my face as he demanded I understand. Though clearly he expected some obeisance, I did not remove my gaze nor did I submit.

My body was trembling and I didn't dare think it was because of the cold. I was exhausted in every aspect and I could hardly hold my kanon straight. The world was beginning to spin but I clung to consciousness as a child clings to her mother during a storm. _Too weak . . . I'm too weak._ Seikatsu were not trained to fight alone; the battles we fought were too taxing to attempt such a feat. I learned the hard way why one never ventured into battle without her partners, and because of my great foolishness, I was in my current predicament and my friends were dead. _Dead because I was too proud._

The men were moving closer and I backed away, trying to shake the ethereal sensations invading my mind. All but their leader trudged after me, forming the seals I'd come to know by heart. On an ordinary day, I could put up a decent fight against these men. Not all of them would have the legendary power associated with the Daraku. And Nemain would have created a shield that no sword forged of man could penetrate—a shield capable of rendering the bloodline limit of the Daraku useless against me.

"Get away from me." My voice came out in a mere whisper as I snarled in unsuppressed rage. The strenuous effects of the past two weeks were slowly caving in on me and in blind fury, I released a round of krynura, the bullets forged of my blood, and watched with grim satisfaction as two of my supposed captors squirmed in agony until breathing their last. Krynura, though causing little bleeding, invaded the bloodstream of my enemies and directly attacked the heart. It was a poison capable of stealing their lives in a matter of heartbeats.

Normally I would have felt some guilt as I watched blood bubble from their lips in spurts, but my heart was as numb as the rest of my body. And my soul was frozen like the mountains of this country, hardened and crystallized from witnessing the devastation of a clan that did not deserve such an end.

Jirou and his master were the only two remaining and I was not in a mood to feel merciful. Kill or be killed seemed the only viable option, and despite my desire to join my partners, I would not be so selfish. My kanon glowed momentarily before I released two more krynura. The silver bullets broke from the barrel in a whistle of glee and charged obediently towards their targets. I waited for the sound of impact, the hum of the krynura as it seared through flesh, but it never came.

Surprised, I narrowed my eyes, willing myself to see the unseen. The gray sky and steady flakes of snow hid the shield of chakra surrounding my enemies, but the ripple created from my bullet when it struck the surface alerted me to its presence. _Damn it!_ The krynura I created were a low level since I lacked the strength to make stronger ones. Daraku generally traveled in groups of two, thus I had hoped that maybe these were the weaker members of the clan. In my rage, I didn't notice the third addition to the remaining group.

From behind the horses stepped a man swathed in a hooded cloak of dark gray that blended wonderfully with the bleak environment. He turned to the human aboard the horse, the same man who condescendingly ordered me earlier, "Her bullets are not strong enough to pierce through my shield, but should I drop it, you would be as dead as the rest of your comrades."

"Can you defeat her Takuma-sama?" It was the first humility I'd yet to see in the one titled Katsurou.

"I can, but I won't. She has reached her limit. Such an endeavor would be a pointless waste of my power. I will, however, bind her so that she will no longer pose a threat." His voice was confident and commanding; I did not have to guess who was truly in charge. Then his attention fell on me and I shrunk back in revulsion. _Filth, such filth._ My mind reeled in frustration, sorrow, and self-loathing. I watched helplessly as he formed the seals of the jutsu known only by his clan, but I could not retaliate. I had nothing left with which to fight.

For the first time in a fortnight, I acknowledged defeat. My kanon thudded to the rocky ground once my fingers refused to grip the handle any longer and I sank to my knees. I could not tell if it was my own weakness or the time halting power of the shinobi, but my body would no longer move. With little caution and an air of assurance, the hooded Daraku walked until he was standing directly in front of me. I did not glance up; I would not look at him, even as he knelt down to eye level. The fire of my rebelling spirit was finally quenched by the winter.

He touched each of my wrists, mumbled words I did not recognize, and it was then I felt the bindings. It started to spread through my entire body as the enchantment followed the vein I used to create my krynura. The two separate vein networks in a Seikatsu are highly specialized; one contains the blood we use for battles and the other that we use to sustain our own lives. The Daraku was binding my power, building an impenetrable barrier around the vein that would prevent it from molding with my chakra circulatory system. So this was how they defeated my kind? To die was one thing, but to live powerless was another. For the first time, I feared living more than dying.

This fear spurned one last rebellious idea into my head. I took note that his concentration was not on holding the Jikan no Jutsu and I reached for my darya, gripped its smooth handle, and with great ferocity plunged it towards my heart, determined this time, to snuff out my last spark of life.

* * *

**Dictionary: For Current and Future Word Reference**

**-Seikatsu: **A wandering clan currently residing in the Snow Country with a bloodline limit. Their extra vein, linked to an extra chamber in the heart, connects to the chakra circulatory system allowing them to imbue their blood with chakra to perform ninjutsu, create barriers, or heal. It is most obviously noted for the silver coloring of the chakra infused blood.**  
-Daraku: **Another wandering clan that also possesses a bloodline limit, which enables them to manipulate time. They are the sworn enemies of the Seikatsu.**  
-Kanon:** The chosen weapons of the fighting Seikatsu. It is closely related to a modern day pistol in appearance and function.  
**-Krynura:** The name for the chakra bullet shot from the kanon. It is created from the blood of the Seikatsu.  
**-Krystak:** The name for the magazine of the kanon. It contains the blood once it has been imbued with a certain amount of chakra.  
**-Darya: **The knife that every Seikatsu carries, which is used to break the skin.  
**-Jikan no Jutsu: **The primary attack of the Daraku which halts the flow of time.  
**-Vashna: **A team of three Seikatsu, consisting of one person who acts as the primary fighter, one who creates the shields to provide the defense, and a third person whose primary occupation is to heal. Due to the nature of Seikatsu abilities, it is generally too tiring for one Seikatsu to do all three jobs alone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"_The Seikatsu weakness is the heart. It's harder to control the amount of blood you use if you draw strength from it instead of the tenketsu in your wrists." _The face of the woman who oversaw my training simmered at the edge of my mind. _"But in a dire situation, it can become your last saving grace. Remember that well." _

I heard my darya slice through my skin more than I felt it; I was used to such things. But never before had I pierced the tenketsu near my heart. It was a risk a Seikatsu preferred not to take, but one I had to take nonetheless. As I felt the familiar warmth trickle down my skin, I gasped in both respite and shock.

Blood trickled from my fingers and down my arm like a waterfall. Though I felt the strain of losing so much at one time, I was relieved to see the silver glimmer of my chakra coursing through it. The one point on my body the Daraku had yet to seal with his jutsu was where the chakra vein connected to the extra chamber on my heart. It was perhaps the most suicidal and foolish inclination I'd yet to have in my entire life, but even in the clutches of his jutsu, when I barely had the strength to stand, I managed to do one last technique.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

Fate is a funny thing when you are working against it. Or at least, that is what I discovered while I fought to survive. I don't know what kept me alive, but something burned within me—something demanded that I continue fighting. Maybe it was Devi and Nemain pushing me to avenge them or maybe I just wanted to find a way to soothe my own conscious. But whatever it was, it wasn't going to let me die. Not yet anyway.

My summoned companion stood before me, creating a protective wall between the Daraku, who had leapt back to safety during the execution of my ninjutsu, and myself. "_Daraku!_" My companion reared up onto her hind legs and slammed her hooves down in a fury that made me cringe. "Aian," she turned the full force of her golden eyes on me, "you're a damn fool."

I almost smiled. Almost. For the first time since my last moments with Devi and Nemain, I wasn't alone. "It's nice to see you too, Seri."

She snorted and shook her head, sending her ebony mane flying in all directions. "Where are your partners and the others?"

I hardened my expression. This was more difficult than trying to live. My body began to shake in a mixture of emotions; my heart would break if I dare say it aloud. I held Seri's gaze but my eyes spoke more than could ever be said with words.

"I see." She whispered. She was one of the younger mares in the herd that served my clan, but years earlier, she decided that unless the situation was dire, she would only serve me. Perhaps she alone could understand my pain.

Our conversation ended there for the Daraku was forming hand seals again. Now that the surprise of Seri's entrance subsided, he was ready to finish what he started. "Seri," I began, as the world began to swirl in a mixture of grays, "I—"

The rest of my statement remained unsaid as I teetered once more towards unconsciousness.

"Aian! Don't you dare pass out on me! AIAN!" Her voice sounded three worlds away.

I felt a harsh pull as I was lifted off the ground and then a sharp pain in my side. Somehow, I found the strength to cry out and some of my senses returned to me. "Come on Aian, get up! Get up!"

My entire body trembled as I obeyed the voice and forced my legs to move beneath me. Several times, I nearly collapsed, but Seri continued to encourage me while she lowered her own body in the process. I grasped her mane with frozen fingers and managed to slide aboard her back when she nudged me with her nose.

"Wait. My kanon." Seri grabbed it with her teeth and dropped it in my lap. I fumbled with it, but managed to stow it securely in its strap on my hip.

"Hold on tight. We're in for one hell of a run." She rose back to her full height and turned to the concentrating Daraku blocking our exit. With teeth bared and nostrils flaring, Seri did not waste any time.

She charged.

The Daraku halted his seals and I witnessed his first signs of frustration. He was quick; I had to give him that. He withdrew a kurenai at a speed faster than my eyes could follow and had it sailing through the air towards Seri in record time. But she was faster. At last minute, Seri leapt to the right and followed the ledge of the mountain without a regard to the abyss laying endless meters below her. Frankly, I don't think she cared.

I prayed I didn't fall, trying my best not to look down as I gripped her sides with a strength I didn't have. It would be a real waste if I died now.

We were closing in now. The Daraku jumped back as we sped past. "Katsuro!"

I glanced back to find four shuriken flying towards us from different angles. "Seri, behind us!"

"You don't have to tell me! Just hang on!" With shuriken approaching from both directions, Seri picked up her pace, but I felt the power in her strides waver. Katsuro stood in front of us, his fingers intertwined in the final seal of the jikan no jutsu. "This ends here, Seikatsu."

But Seri didn't stop as was expected. She swerved violently to the right, just as the shuriken struck our former position, and skidded to a stop, sending a shower of pebbles over the mountain ledge. I fought to regain my balance only to nearly lose it again as I caught on to her plan. "We'll die."

"We're going to die if we stay here." She pointed out.

"Jikan no jutsu!" Katsuro ignited his power and I felt time begin to slow. My body began to grow heavier and I shut my eyes in expectance of what was to come. Seri reared in challenge, standing on hind legs capable of crushing a person in one blow, and released a blood-curling scream. I didn't have a chance to look behind me, because at that moment, she jumped.

My stomach was in my throat as we fell, but the effects of the jutsu diminished as the distance from my opponents increased. With the death grip my arms had around Seri's neck, it was a wonder I didn't choke her.

"I'm never forgiving you for this." I mumbled into her mane.

When she didn't retort, I knew she was focusing on a way out. Her chakra outlined her frame, a contrasting blue light against her black coat. She applied it to her hooves and aimed for the side of the mountain. I could feel the power radiating from her and I cursed myself for doubting her. Aside from Devi and Nemain, she was the only one I trusted with my life.

The stone cut into her hooves as she struck the surface of the cliff and Seri balked at the pain but she tried again without another complaint, determined to slow us down. I could hear the scraping of the rock as it trailed after us. Bits of dirt and debris struck my back from where it detached from the side. I wished then that I had something, anything, with which to aid her.

Our speed slowly decreased and I realized that she was running down the side now, using her chakra to root her firmly there. Her sides heaved from the effort of maintaining her balance with my awkward weight on her back. The decline of the cliff was more at an angle now and she managed to leap from rock to rock. Even through the haze of snow, I could see trees now and the flat woodlands beneath us.

I closed my eyes again, allowing myself to fall into the rhythm of her sure steps and steady breathing. This land was the home of so many painful reminders of my failures. I wanted Seri to run and never stop; perhaps, then, my problems would never catch me. It was the first time it dawned on me. I was the last of my kind. The only surviving member of a clan that the world only dreamed of in legends. What had I done to deserve such a wretched existence? Why couldn't I have died back with my partners?

Seri broke into a trot, jarring me from my guilty reverie. We were at the base of the forest and my mood only worsened. It was as forlorn as my heart. At one time, I believed the trees, with their branches covered in pure snow and draped in crystals, were a beautiful sight. But as I looked at them, they reminded me of the way the blood of my comrades sunk into the snow and hardened from the cold. I could almost hear their screams.

"I must rest." Seri finally spoke.

She lowered herself to the ground and I felt her body tremble from the effort. I attempted to dismount gracefully, but I ended up toppling off. Seri didn't bother to rise. Her legs dripped with blood from the fight down the mountain ledge and her hooves were in shambles. Determined to repay the favor, I withdrew my darya and prepared to slide it across my wrist, but she stopped me.

"Don't be a fool, Aian. You'll die if you use anymore." I considered her words and cursed my weakness for the ten thousandth time that day. I couldn't save my partners or my clan and now I couldn't even assist the mare that saved my life.

I laid against her, comforted by the warmth of her body and the sound of her heart beating. My body had long since been numbed and I hardly noticed the snow against my skin. Somewhere, in the back of my head, I told myself it was irrational and dangerous to fall asleep in the open while a storm raged around me, but I didn't have the strength to keep my eyes open, much less move.

"Thank you." I mumbled quietly to the mare, deciding that just this once, I would have to rely on her to protect me. But I drifted off into a despaired slumber before I could hear her reply.

* * *

Itachi returned to the designated meeting point thoroughly annoyed with the pointless venture into the mountains. There wasn't a sign of life to be found. In fact, he hadn't seen _any_ sign of life anywhere in the Snow Country since his arrival. He leaned against the tree in contemplation; perhaps these two clans were myths after all. But it would be unlike Sandaime to send ANBU on a mission based on a mere whim. Surely there was _something_ to be found in this desolate country?

His teammates arrived shortly afterwards with much the same story. Itachi frowned. He didn't want to call off the mission, but if they were seeking nothing more than ghosts, it was a waste of time. "We will attempt another search tomorrow. In the meantime, let's take refuge in the cliffs until this storm passes."

The idea of climbing more mountains did not appeal to Itachi, but he wanted a relief from the snow. As he hopped from branch to branch, he began to consider the various places these clans might live. He first figured they might live in the caves found along the mountainside, but after entering them and finding no sign of life, he had quickly abandoned that idea.

"Look!" One of his partners stopped on a branch and pointed. Itachi came to a halt as well and followed the direction of the finger. In the distance, he could make out the outline of a strange creature. A bit of hope fluttered in the pit of his stomach at this discovery. He motioned for the team to split up and approach the figure from different directions. They still didn't know the intention of the shinobi they were attempting to contact, and he didn't want to deal with an ambush.

With his hand ready to withdraw his ninjaken, the traditional ANBU sword strapped to his back, Itachi moved forward into action. His teammates separated from him and moved off, leaving him alone to ponder the identity of this figure. Was it even human? The snow parted for him with much needed silence and the wind masked any spare noise that might alert others to his presence. For the first time since his arrival, Itachi actually thanked the weather conditions.

He slowed his pace when he was within fifteen meters and narrowed his eyes in surprise. Even from his distance, he noticed that it was actually two separate beings. Itachi glanced around and saw the hidden frames of his partners; they were waiting for his signal.

He waited a moment, watching to see for signs of vitality, but when neither of them moved, he lifted his hand to state his motive. The four ANBU bounded off simultaneously and surrounded the snow-coated bodies. Itachi knelt next to them and reached a tentative hand out, lightly toughing the larger of the two.

At his contact, there was a sudden thrash of violent movement as Seri shook the blanket of snow from her body and rose to her full height. A puff of her steamy breath escaped her nostrils as she snorted in contempt. She wasn't in any position to fight another battle, but as she stood over the sleeping Seikatsu, she was fully prepared to give her life to protect Aian. "You are not Daraku. What is it you want?"

_Kuchiyose…_ Itachi realized.

"Itachi-san." One of his team members stood in an offensive stance, ready to fight at his order.

"Wait," Itachi shook his head; they couldn't afford to jump into battle without knowing the circumstances. He then turned his attention to the shaking mare, "we are not here to fight."

Seri pawed at the ground and lowered her head, flattening her ears against her skull to emphasize her point. "Then leave."

Reasoning with an aggressive summon was often difficult, and this was perhaps the worst one he had yet to encounter. "A missive was sent to Konoha, the hidden ninja village in the Fire Country, from someone requesting our assistance. We are searching for the Seikatsu."

"This is dangerous land, strangers." Seri stood a little straighter and looked at each one of the masked shinobi, attempting to gauge their strengths. "What you seek can no longer be found. Go home."

Itachi considered the mare's words carefully. Previously, she had mentioned the name of the Daraku. If she knew of them, then it was extremely likely that she had information on the other clan as well. But what did she mean when she stated they could no longer be found? His thoughts shifted to the figure she was guarding. The painstaking process of gathering information was one of the strengths of ANBU, but questioning a thousand pound horse was an entirely different story.

"Seri…" A quiet voice shook the foundations of the howling winter. Itachi abandoned his thoughts as the other presence, a girl only a little older than himself, struggled to find her footing only to collapse in exhaustion.

"Don't stand!" Seri pushed Aian back down when she tried to rise again.

Aian ignored her and gazed at the masked strangers instead. Her silver eyes glimmered dully in the light and Itachi noted they were tired. So incredibly exhausted. His stare moved to her clothes. Pieces were torn and covered in blood, but his eyes widened when he noted the distinct colorings. Silver? "You are searching for the Seikatsu clan, right?"

"This is correct."

A look of pain flashed through the strange girl's expression, but she masked it with indifference. "You are looking at it."

Itachi frowned once again. _Genocide._ But before he could question her further, the girl coughed violently, sending a spray of blood onto the snow.

"Aian!" The mare nudged the girl with worry.

Itachi stepped closer to the Seikatsu, "We can help her if you will trust us."

Seri's golden eyes widened frantically. It was dangerous to trust strangers, but Aian would die if she remained in the cold any longer. Without hands, Seri couldn't tend to her wounds. Slowly, Seri backed away to allow the ANBU shinobi more room. "Try anything suspicious and I'll kill you."

"I understand." Itachi scooped the semi-conscious girl into his arms and looked to the mare for help. "You know the layout of the land better than I do."

Seri took the initiative and sped off at a breathtaking speed while the ANBU members followed swiftly after her. Until the storm receded, it would be safest to take shelter in the caves. Aian would not make a journey to a warmer climate in her condition.

"These caves were used as safety points for the Seikatsu." Seri finally spoke when she entered the mouth of a cavern. "It should be a safe haven until it stops snowing."

Itachi glanced as his partners, "Get a fire going."

He placed Aian down gently and examined her wounds with a cautious eye, fully aware that Seri was watching him like a hawk. There were several small punctures and scrapes, but something else caught his eye. The skin on her wrists was clearly broken on purpose. The lines were too precise. And the slice along her heart, though it wasn't direct, still showed evidence of self-injury. The normal wounds were reacting naturally and thin scabs were forming over the dried blood. Her wrists, however, glistened a silver color. When he touched it, the warmth and texture of the liquid resembled that of blood.

If he wanted any chance of helping her, he was going to need some answers. "I know the Seikatsu have a bloodline limit," his attention rested thoughtfully on the mare; Seri was her name, he recalled, "But tell me, _what_ is she?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

I do not know how long sleep kept me from facing the realities around me, but I strove to remain immersed in my slumber, hoping never to wake again. My mind blazed in a raging fever and my skin was clammy from the inferno on my skin. Several times I cried out for Devi, begging her to cool the fire and soothe the pain erupting from my chest. But she did not answer me; I felt utterly alone, abandoned to die in a pit of infinite blackness.

There were voices around me, but they blurred together until they left ringing in my ears. Even the slightest whisper set my head pounding and drove me into frenzy. I felt a compress of icy water routinely pressed against my forehead, but it hardly eased the constant scraping in my mind, and every so often, a hand would support me and force a vile liquid down my throat. It was during those moments that I cursed them for prolonging my life.

The days I spent in that nightmarish state eventually waned until I was able to sleep peacefully. I still refused to wake, believing that the moment I did, I would find myself in a position worse than death. Sleep was so much safer.

Eventually, however, my curiosity insisted I awaken. The softness against my back was nothing like my last memory of the hard floor in the cave and it wasn't cold like the snow. I floated back to consciousness and opened my eyes, only to promptly shut them again as the light nearly burned them.

"You have slept for quite some time now," a soft scrutinizing voice came from the corner of the room, "It is no wonder that your eyes need to adjust."

"Where am I?" I asked, this time squinting before tackling the light head on.

"Konoha, the Hidden Leaf Village." My vision cleared and I glanced over to see an elderly man sitting comfortably in a wooden chair. "And more specifically, you are in the hospital."

_Konoha?_ I attempted to think back on my history lessons. This was my first time in the Fire Country. Then, something else dawned on me and I sat up in a rush, causing my head to spin. "Seri!"

"No need to worry. She refused to return home until she knew you would be safe. She's outside." His eyes never left mine, but despite the eye contact, I did not feel threatened. "We hoped to learn of your situation, but she is quite stubborn."

I flinched at the mentioning of my clan and averted my gaze. Instead, I changed the subject. "Who are you?"

He chuckled, a warm laugh that relaxed me. "Forgive me. I am the Third Hokage, Sarutobi."

"You lead this village then?" Though I'd never met any of the Kages, I knew their purpose.

"That is correct."

I was quiet for a moment, suspended in my own thoughts. First and foremost, I was alive. Though I did not know anything about the village of Konoha, I had an idea of where I was. I wondered how far from the Snow Country I was, though I felt oddly comforted by the fact that I was no longer there. I couldn't remember the details of my journey to this village, but I could remember faces and Seri's worried voice. It all felt like a lifetime ago.

"I'd like to see Seri." I needed a familiar face. My way of life was completely eradicated, but at least I still had one relic of my past. In a way, Seri was all I really had left.

The Hokage nodded, knowing he would not be able to question me yet. Though I knew he was curious to learn more about the Seikatsu, it would have to wait. "I have assigned a guide. A jounin from the village who can escort you. Until you learn your way around, it is better not to get lost." Sarutobi paused and sighed, "Unfortunately, he is running a bit late."

"I'll wait then." I glanced over into a mirror and frowned at the ghost staring back at me. My clan had naturally fair skin, but the pallor of my face was sickening. My hair was no longer tied back and it hung loosely around my shoulders as it fell to my waist. Even it, which was normally a rich burgundy, seemed to be lacking in luster. But my eyes frightened me the most. They belonged to someone otherworldly—someone who wasn't me. And yet, they told more about the past two weeks of my life than any mental image I could conjure. They reminded me of the first time I met Devi, when she took one look at my silver irises and said I looked like I might stone her to death. Silver was not a typical eye color of my clan, but she always said they suited me.

When I glanced back over to the Third Hokage, I nearly doubled over in surprise when I realized he was no longer there. I was so engrossed in my own thoughts that I failed to notice his departure.

_Might as well stand then. _I pushed the sheets back and dangled my legs over the side, testing to ensure they really would obey me. When I figured that no harm would come from standing, I placed them firmly on the ground and slowly added more of my weight until I was confident I would not lose my balance. It was easier than I first believed and somewhat comforting to know I'd regained most of my strength.

I noticed my darya and kanon sitting on a table with the outer layers of my clothes. I didn't touch them at first; part of me didn't wish to acknowledge what they symbolized. But I realized that no matter how much I fought it, I could not erase the truth. I was a Seikatsu; I survived. And I had to stand for my clan until the very end.

My wrists were wrapped, which prevented me from reapplying my bracers. I wrapped my cloak firmly around me, however, feeling less exposed with it guarding my wounds from prying eyes. Finally, I buckled the leather strip around my hip to attach my darya and kanon in their rightful positions. Despite my former feelings of regret, I felt much more like myself.

"Sorry I'm late," I turned towards the voice, which came from the window, and not the door. "These two women needed—"

"I suppose tardiness is a habit of yours?" I interrupted, leveling my stare on the figure in the window. I noted his appearance with interest. He was in his early twenties, I guessed, with spiky gray hair and a relatively concealed face. His right eye was his only clearly visible facial feature since he masked his nose and mouth and slanted his forehead protector over his left eye. The serene expression of laziness engraved across his features puzzled me. I couldn't really guess what he was thinking.

His right eye widened slightly at my question, taking on an air of feigned innocence, but instead of answering my question, he raised both his hands in defeat. "I'm Hatake Kakashi and, for now, I am your escort."

"Just call me Aian." I didn't want to bother with a surname. As far as I was concerned, it died with my clan. "And if you don't mind," I glanced once more at the open window and thought of Seri's leap off the cliff. "I'd rather take the stairs."

* * *

The sun sat on the horizon, seemingly suspended in time. Its beams sent rays of light in all directions, scattering shadows across the streets of Konoha. This village was far larger than my wildest expectations. I knew the main hidden villages in the countries were forces to reckon with, but no amount of training or history lessons could have prepared me for what I discovered in the heart of Konoha. People, _normal_ people, walked the streets with heads held high and smiles upon their faces. I half expected to see ninja around every corner, but that was clearly not the case.

I could do nothing but stare in wonder, and even a bit of awe. Ninja lived among normal everyday people, and were _accepted_. My people never permitted us to interact with others unless it was necessary. We were to remain the shadows in the night, the invisible protectors. Oh, if only Devi and Nemain could see this—if only they could see the ways in which the Seikatsu leaders led our entire band on fictitious claims!

Loneliness settled over my heart at the recollection of Devi and Nemain. To lose them was like living in the shell of a world with no real beginning and no true end. I wasn't sure where I belonged anymore. With them I had a place in the world; I had an identity. I knew my purpose. Though war was all I understood, it was something I knew well. In a place like Konoha, with its tranquil nature, I realized there was no place for me. Reveling in the midst of this happiness and prosperity, I decided that I truly knew nothing of peace.

I stared at the four faces of the Hokages, recalling my conversation with Kakashi my first day in Konoha.

"_I've heard you have an interesting bloodline limit." I'd forgotten Kakashi was there and he shattered my state of mind with the mentioning of my abilities._

"_Something like that." I wasn't about to tell a stranger the extent of my skills. If something should happen, I needed to ensure I could take the shinobi of Konoha by surprise. "And if you don't mind me asking, who are they?"_

"_Hm?" _

_I was staring at four faces carved into the side of a cliff. _

"_Oh," Kakashi followed my gaze, "those are the faces of the four Hokages of Konoha."_

"_How are there four when I met the Third today?" Images of the elderly man fluttered through my head._

"_Originally, Sandaime chose the Fourth as his successor," Kakashi's eyes remained trained on the statue of the Fourth, "but eight years ago, he sacrificed his life for this village." _

_There was a sincerity in the jounin's voice that I couldn't quite place. A form of respect that contrasted my former judgments of his character. I couldn't help but speculate. "Sacrificed?"_

"_Yeah." Kakashi started to move forward again and I realized, by avoiding my question, he was giving me a taste of my own medicine. _

The structure itself was fascinating. These people revered their leader. My clan, despite our admiration for our leaders, never did anything special to honor them. Perhaps it was because we were always wandering. Though we relied on them to make decisions and guide us from country to country, individually, a Seikatsu's loyalty rested with his or her partners. The clan leader was not the one shielding me from danger or healing my wounds.

I turned away from the window and glanced around my bare room. At the insistence of the Hokage, I was convinced to stay for a while and granted a small apartment to call my own. There were many things he wished to learn about me, but despite his good natured efforts to learn my story, I still guarded my secrets with a discreet ferocity.

A knock on my door nearly sent my though the roof. I cursed silently. "Come in."

My visitor entered quietly, "Hokage-sama requests your presence immediately."

I didn't like the idea of the old man ordering me around like one of his shinobi. This village was not my home. "What does he want with me?"

"I was told to summon you," the man stated with a frown. "I don't know anything else."

If I wanted answers, I was going to have to go. "All right."

It surprised me that my guide led me away from the Hokage building, but I didn't ask questions. He appeared a bit agitated, almost fearful, and when he consistently glanced behind to watch me, I realized that he _was_ afraid. Afraid of me. Suspicion welled up and my muscles tensed as I placed my hand gently on my kanon. Was he leading me into a trap?

But much to my relief and curiosity, we came to a halt in front of the hospital. He entered without a word to me and I followed him as we wound our way through various corridors and up a few flights of stairs.

Sandaime was standing in front of one of the rooms, his back leaning stiffly against the stone wall. "Please forgive me, Aian, for calling upon you like this, but there is a matter we must discuss immediately."

I merely raised my brow in question. I wasn't worried. Yet.

"I know this is hard for you, but I must insist that you aid us." His eyes narrowed, forcing me to hold his gaze. "Could you tell me the effects of the bloodline limit of the Daraku?"

"Effects? You want to know the results of the jikan no jutsu?"

"That is correct."

I frowned in memory. _Frozen. They are frozen like the Snow Country. Frozen in time—in death._ "Have you found a corpse?"

I was holding back, and by the look on Sandaime's face, he could see caution written on my features. "Yes."

He motioned towards the door and my heart began to pound as I entered the hospital room. I struggled to contain the fear that was now coursing through me. Were the Daraku aware that I survived? Would they hunt me to the ends of the earth?

There were four others in the room but I failed to note their identities. I didn't care. Because the moment my eyes rested on the body laid out before me, the whole room disappeared.

The corpse was almost unrecognizable, but I would know her anywhere.

"Devi." I whispered and fought to choke back the wave of emotion that rolled through my entire body.

I must have swayed because before I realized it, strong hands were holding me up. Though it was instinct for me to avoid this contact, I didn't fight it. My partner—my friend—was laying before me in the most undignified way.

"Why?" My rage was beginning to boil. "Why did you go back?"

I turned to face the elderly man, my hand automatically reaching for my kanon. The same hands that aided me moments before were now holding me captive. I struggled, but it was futile. "_WHY?!"_

His gaze, filled with pity and remorse, only further drove my fury. "I'm sorry, but we had to find the answers to the questions you wouldn't address. It is my duty to ensure the safety of Konoha, and if there is a rogue band running wild, I have obligations to protect the Fire Country."

"You didn't have to bring her here." My fingers itched to pull the trigger of my kanon. My blood seethed within me, demanding revenge for this disgrace. It was like a volcano erupted in my chest. The pain and despair of the past days—everything I'd kept bottled somewhere deep within the crevices of my heart—exploded with a magnitude that I could not contain.

"Aian-san." The voice of my captor rang clear in my ears, but his tone was soft and almost understanding. "Do the Daraku leave holes in their victims?"

"Holes?" For a moment, I forgot the burning fury and considered his words. After some deliberation, I could only shake my head, "Perhaps a sword wound, but their attacks don't—"

I stopped myself in mid-sentence after a dawning realization. _Holes…_ I inhaled sharply and braced myself for the sight behind me, because some coincidental notion was beginning to crawl its way forward, and I was going to have to prove myself wrong. I _needed_ to prove myself wrong. Slowly and with great unease, I turned to look upon Devi's remains once more. This time I was prepared to see her—to see her battered body and motionless frame. I'd seen more than my share of death in my lifetime, but no amount of experience could have prepared me for this kind of death.

My captor did not release my hands, but I didn't need them. The sudden intensity of my anger was no longer present and instead I felt numb. Cold. I forced my feet to move closer so I could get a better view and I gritted my teeth in response. There was no denying it now.

"She wasn't killed by a Daraku." I finally stated weakly, turning away from her corpse once more. I couldn't bare to see Devi this way. "But I know the Daraku were responsible."

"Then who?" The Hokage pressed, "She is a Seikatsu right?"

"Yes." I shut my eyes at the mentioning of my clan name. "Yes, she is a Seikatsu." _My best friend! And you practically dug her up from her grave._ "Her name was Devi and she was one of my partners."

"And who killed her?"

"I thought, no, I saw the Daraku. We were fighting—the three of us—against two of them. It was a late night raid and we were caught off guard. The patrols never called out any signs of danger, and by the time the Seikatsu could gather any force, it was already too late." I could here the shouts and screams. The cries of the dying as their life fled them with unwarranted force. "But the three of us stood. There are always three—a Vashna is what we call it. Devi was the healer, Nemain the shielder, and then me, the fighter. We were the strongest Vashna of the clan, other than the leaders, so it made sense for us to stay and try to protect whoever was left."

I didn't want to go on. I didn't want to tell my secrets. Telling this story was admitting that I failed. "At some point in the battle, I heard cries for help and I left my partners to investigate. I don't know why I went alone. I was confident that I would be able to fend for myself. It was a foolish inclination and I soon paid for it. The cries were a trap—a trap _meant_ to lure me away. Without Devi and Nemain, essentially I was an open target."

I almost snorted in contempt at that memory. "Well, so they thought anyway."

"Your clan separates into trios then?" The Hokage held onto my words, determined to file them away for later use.

"From birth, all Seikatsu show an affinity for a certain area of battle. I was always good at fighting. I had good aim and I was able to create strong krynura." I realized he had no idea what a krynura was, but I chose not to explain that part. Even if they would learn my story, I wasn't going to give away everything. "Devi's control over healing was unparalleled, and thus that was the path she chose. And Nemain—she was protective. It showed, as well. Her shields were created to protect the mind and body and it took an extreme amount of physical and mental force to break them."

"Because our attacks require our blood, it is hard for one Seikatsu to specialize in all three areas of battle. So, to make up for that weakness, we form a vashna, which has one person of each specialization. But I can still create shields and heal if it is dire. Which was what occurred when the Daraku cornered me away from the others."

"I fought a hard battle, but there were too many. Eventually, my fatigue began to show and I was overcome. But luckily, Devi and Nemain arrived to save me. However, everything has a price. And the price for my life was exchanged for theirs."

The room was silent with each person engrossed in thought. Sandaime was the first to break the ice, "Which brings us back to where we started. If the Daraku didn't kill her, then who did?"

"I saw them both overcome by the jikan no jutsu. Nemain used the last of her strength to protect my mind from it and then ordered me to run. I didn't want to leave them, but she swore she would never forgive me if I didn't survive."

"You didn't see the final blow then?" The soft voice of my captor slashed through the tense air with quiet precision.

"No." I admitted. "I did not. And now I wish I had."

"You are refraining from answering the question."

"Perhaps."

"But you know the answer."

I was really beginning to hate that persistent voice, and I turned, determined to see the face of my interrogator. I was sorely disappointed to see his features hidden by the animal mask. I vaguely remembered seeing those masks on the faces of my rescuers when they carried me to Konoha.

"The one who killed Devi, and probably several members of my clan. The reason the alarms were never sounded. The elements of surprise and knowledge of our whereabouts. Several times I tried to reason with myself—I tried to establish just how the Daraku knew the best way to kill each of us. And now I see why." My eyes locked onto the corpse in twisted agony. "That hole is the work of a krynura—of a _Seikatsu_."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This is an edited version of this chapter. I added the appropriate breaks between ideas with a line. The next couple chapters will be edited in much the same manner since the dividers didn't stay when I posted these originally. Hope that this provides a better reading experience! Thanks for everyone's support and reviews. They mean a lot to me.**

**-Bay (8/22/2010)  
**

**Chapter Four**

Humans tend to remain ignorant even when knowledge, and reality, hit them in the face. It's simply easier to accept the painful facts of life if one is unaware. I always hated never knowing. Learning, traveling, exploring. I wanted it all. But, after discerning the truth and seeing it with my own eyes; after bearing witness to the crimes against the Seikatsu, I couldn't deny that, just once, I wished I had remained unknowing. Perhaps the anguish that comes with losing everything, and everyone, would have eventually faded with time. But now, how could I forget the traitorous proof embedded in my best friend—how could I _not_ wish to find some form of closure?

Most of the night after that revelation, I considered my options, weighing them until they were in my favor. I fully intended to hunt down the murderer of my friends. My conscious—my heart—could not be at peace until then. I would be the judge of the deserter's crimes. And my kanon would issue the death sentence.

As I stood at the city gate the following morning with Seri at my side and Devi in a body bag on her back, I glanced back at the village. Konoha's gentle nature shattered my focus and my resolve. Despite the harmony of the Leaf, I could not strike the chords of peace within myself. I needed to escape the confines of the city—I was born a wanderer. In all fifteen or sixteen of my years, I'd never lived in one place for long. My clan was always moving, always searching, and in the end, they found nothing more than death.

"You intend to leave?"

I frowned in recognition. That quiet voice haunted me wherever I went.

"I have no choice." I replied into the wind. He was hiding somewhere.

The owner of the voice hopped down from his perch from a nearby building, landing gracefully on two feet with one hand to support him. As he straightened, I swore, for a brief second, I met his eyes beneath the mask, only to have them disappear once more into blackness. "Will you return to the Snow Country?"

I blanched in reminder of my former temporary home and then I reddened because I didn't know my destination. "I suppose," I replied after a few moments of thought. "It will be a start, at least."

"And if you don't find the answers you seek?"

"I'll search until I do."

We faced one another in a suspicious silence. Seri, who remained surprisingly reticent, fidgeted under the tension. Would he attempt to prevent me from leaving? I analyzed his stance. It was one of contemplation, not aggression, so I relaxed. Perhaps he would leave me to my desires without a hassle. I didn't want to fight Konoha shinobi if I could avoid it. But if he got in my way, I planned to blow his brains out without hesitation.

"Konoha will still continue to find answers." He stated firmly. "It puts you at a disadvantage to run off on your own. It could take you years."

My eyes narrowed in disagreement. "Some things require time, don't you agree? Days, months, years. It doesn't matter. In the end, the results are the same. Whether I wait here or go out on my own, I still have things I must accomplish." I paused, gauging him once more. "What is it to you? You know nothing about me."

"I think you are wrong." His words tickled my ears, soft as the wind and yet deeper than the ocean. Tentatively, he placed a hand on the face of his mask and I found my breath shorten in anticipation. "You are a shinobi possessing a bloodline limit that people can only accept as legendary. You are alone, faced with a burden that only you can shoulder." And with those last, sinking words, he removed his mask. "In that, Aian, we are the same."

The contour of his face wasn't what I first imagined. He looked younger than me, but I couldn't be sure. In some ways he seemed far older. His hair was neatly tied back and its raven coloring matched his eyes. But the most notable features were the symmetrical imprinted lines running from the corners of his eyes down to his cheek.

We were both suspended in time, lost in our own worlds, and yet, some part of me recognized him. Those eyes were unfamiliar, black and barren, but they bore a unique resemblance to the pain that I felt. What secret did he carry? What burden? He knew I wouldn't ask; perhaps that's why he told me in the first place.

"Who are you?" I finally found my voice.

"Uchiha…" He paused as a hint of recognition fluttered across my features, "Itachi."

_An Uchiha?_ Though I did not know the full extent of his abilities, I knew the clan's history. I drilled my mind, searching for a specific history lesson that may have mentioned them. _Something to do with eyes…_

I sighed, thinking about my former thoughts of avenging Devi and Nemain. Revenge, my old sensei used to tell me, was a pointless endeavor. And vengeance was a meaningless motive. The longer one sought it, the less human he or she would become. Despite my anger, I could not afford to lose my heart to such a pitiful emotion. "What," I leveled my stare, ensuring I had his full attention, "do you propose I do if I stay?"

"Help ANBU find more evidence." He shrugged nonchalantly, clearly unaffected by my gaze, "Right now, you are the only one with any knowledge of our enemy."

"Sandaime sent you here." I accused, knowing full well that the Third Hokage was behind Itachi's arrival.

"He thought you might try to leave."

"Konoha needs a Seikatsu then?" Acceptance has a strange way of working magic in one's mind. It amazed me that my normally indomitable spirit could be swayed so easily by this shinobi's mysterious words. Curiosity drove me to discover his secrets; it demanded, in some part of my mind, that I stay.

"More specifically," a grim smile touched the corners of his lips, "I think Konoha needs _you_."

* * *

The sun's rays penetrated the thick canopy of trees, illuminating the unmarked headstone with swirling shadows. The wind caused the surrounding leaves to clatter together and I shuddered in my loneliness. It was such pitiful sound.

"You know, Devi," I knelt down and rested my hand, now stained with dirt from digging a suitable grave, on the stone. "I didn't want this."

The Third had insisted that I bury Devi in Konoha's graveyard but I refused. She did not rank among Konoha's dead—she had not fallen for the village. The pride of a Seikatsu still flowed through my veins, and until I lost that pride, I would not allow her to rest among strangers. As a member of a wandering tribe, it was sensible to bury her in an obscure location. We lived in anonymity and we remained that way, even in death. I knew if Devi could have chosen her final resting place, she would have picked something out of the way and insignificant.

Seri helped me to transport her to a remote location and for the rest of the morning, I buried my friend in solitude. It helped to cleanse my mind, to purify my angered spirit, and I threw myself into my work, resting only when my muscles demanded that I pause.

With a sigh, I flopped onto my back next to her grave, spreading my arms wide to stare at the blue world beyond the treetops. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. And for the first time since I arrived in the Fire Country, there weren't clouds in my mind either. I felt ethereal, unbound to the world and free of any one true emotion. It was a pleasant feeling.

I closed my eyes; my thoughts were still circulating, but at a much slower rate. This day reminded me of my younger years, the few years when the clan permitted me to be a child. When I wasn't training, I would lie like this and stare up at the sky in wonderment. I always dreamed of the days I would be a shinobi like my parents, vigilant and courageous. I never imagined that this would be my destiny. I never considered that one day I would stare up at that same sky, without family or friends to call my own, in a land as foreign as my predicament.

But for the moment, I was content. In the past, my partners assisted me with the burdens of the battle, and now, though I was alone, Devi's presence was still there to hold me up, to provide some encouraging notion that everything might work out. _That's right, burdens are meant for those who can carry them._ I was strong enough. My ambition to live, my ability to face adversity. Surely these things accounted for something.

I yawned as a quiet calm descended upon my mind, luring me to unconsciousness. How long had it been since I truly slept? Without worry or pain? The evidence of my exhaustion seeped through the fragile barrier around my mentality. And after a minor struggle, I relented, allowing it to seduce me into a well warranted and dreamless sleep.

* * *

The moon sat high in the night sky by the time Kakashi found Aian. With the help of Pakkun, his summoned tracking dog, he managed to locate her relatively quickly, considering the distance she traveled to bury her friend. Having been missing since that morning when Itachi confronted her, Sandaime began to worry that she might not return. _And being her watcher, he sent me out to find her. This girl is a pain._

Though he was still considered her "guide," Kakashi rarely saw Aian. She generally chose to hide away in her apartment, emerging only by request of the Third. And when she did present herself to others, he found her increasingly difficult to approach. Though she was always polite, her curt answers insinuated that she didn't wish to be bothered. He understood the loss of friends and family; he knew the pain of losing those close to him. But the raw agony she shouldered, that broken haunted look in her eyes, was something beyond him. No matter what he attempted, he couldn't break the ice—he couldn't melt that sword-like despair—and bring her around.

_Well, in the end, it is something she will have to do for herself._ Regret, sorrow, the sense of failure. Kakashi did not have a life free of those burdens, but he carried their weight, knowing there were others that relied on him. He had a village and people to protect.

Having lived the entirety of her life as a nomad, Aian never had a place like Konoha to call home, to dedicate her life to protecting. She had only her customs and people to defend, and now, she didn't even have that.

When Kakashi found her, however, he hesitated before approaching and watched her from a treetop. The moon illuminated her pale figure, shading her normally burgundy hair with a wine colored sheen as it blew lightly in the wind. _She's asleep?_

He sighed. Despite her façade, she was still only human. Witnessing her in such a vulnerable state, without her barriers, without her silver eyes of despair boring holes in him, softened his view of her. The serenity in her expression, the face of painless slumber, was enough to convince Kakashi that it wasn't worth waking her just yet. _Let her sleep away the grief. Maybe then she will face the world with willing eyes._

And with nothing to do but wait, Kakashi relaxed in the branches of the tree, propping himself against the rough trunk of the pine, and pulled out _Ichi Ichi Paradise_ to pass the time.

* * *

_Shit_.Was my first thought as I opened my eyes only to find the former blue of the sky blanketed with stars. Several seconds passed before the day's events crawled back to my memory. _What time is it? _I propped myself up with my hands and glanced up at the moon, glowing like a silver ornament above me.

Sleep had worked wonders on me, I realized, as I pulled my hair back into a high ponytail in a vague attempt to conceal the dirt. For the first time since my dreary battle in the mountains of the Snow Country, I felt alive. The world, once again, appeared real to me. I was no longer wading through a film of denial and regret; I wasn't drowning in memories of blood and tears. Perhaps it was my mind attempting to provide some sense of respite, but I knew then, as the breeze caressed my cheek, that the chains of self-pity and doubt had finally released me.

"So you're finally awake."

I nearly leapt out of my skin in fright and, in the span of a breath, my fingers were gripping the handle of my kanon and pressed against the trigger. The adrenaline that follows in the wake of surprise and fear coursed through me like wildfire in rhythm to every beat of my racing heart.

"Damn it, Kakashi!" The accusations rang in my words and his eyes widened in mild surprise at my outburst. "You're lucky I didn't blow a hole through you!"

"I took a few precautions." The voice came from behind this time. I whipped around to see another Kakashi emerge from the shadows.

"Kage bunshin?" The one I nearly shot evaporated. _He's smart, I'll give him that._ Kakashi suspected that he might startle me and prepared himself just in case. "That was a wise decision. It's rare that I hesitate."

Kakashi leaned against the trunk of a tree; the shadows played off his silver hair and shaded his impassive expression. I could feel the weight of his one visible eye appraising me. "That is your weapon then?"

At his mentioning of my kanon, I glanced down at it and inspected it in my hands. It was more than a weapon to me. In battle it was my ticket to survival, and now especially, without Nemain and Devi to watch my back, it was my shield. I couldn't imagine life without it. "It's called a kanon," I held it up into the light of the moon, watching as the clear tube of the magazine gave off a metallic sheen from my blood swirling within it. "Every Seikatsu carries one." _Did carry one, that is._

I saw the faintest trace of interest flash through his eye, "Hmm."

"You were testing me." He appeared slightly disappointed that I hadn't shot his clone. Likely, he hoped he might ascertain a bit of my abilities. I sighed. Everyone wished to know my secrets. Even Kakashi, who hadn't pressured me in the least, was curious.

"Was I?" The question was rhetorical.

In a simple movement, I locked my kanon back in its holster and turned from Kakashi, back to Devi's grave. "I suppose you're here to retrieve me?"

"The Third was worried."

_Of course he was. _I thought bitterly. So long as I had a use to these people, they were not going to release me from their watch anytime soon. I didn't bother to glance behind at his expression, knowing that it probably hadn't changed at all. Kakashi proved to be exceptional at hiding his thoughts. "I don't need a jailor, you know."

It was time to go; I knew he had no intention of leaving without me. Without another word to him, I knelt once more beside Devi's grave and withdrew a necklace from one of my bags. It was simple, consisting of three silver rings spaced evenly on a black chain, but it meant more than anything words could easily express. The three rings represented each of us within the Vashna—Devi, Nemain, and I—and the promise we made one another. To protect—to survive.

_You broke your promise to me, Devi. You and Nemain both. I survived, but why aren't you here with me? _I retrieved my darya from my side, hesitating to sneak a sidelong glance at Kakashi. He remained motionless against the tree trunk, examining my silent ritual in impassive silence.

"You wanted to know the extent of my bloodline limit." My stare once again fell upon the necklace and I clutched it fiercely. Even while her body decayed, it had clung to her neck. I reached up and grasped my own matching necklace, stroking the smooth metal rings in contemplation. Finally, I dropped Devi's onto her headstone and watched as it gleamed in the moonlight, like a candle lighting the darkness. _But candles die. They burn vibrantly until there is nothing left. _

I drew my darya across my wrist and brightened at the sight of my silver blood. Kakashi stepped closer, a subtle movement that did not escape my notice. "Blood resembles life and death in the world of shinobi. But it is more than that to the Seikatsu. _This _is the bloodline limit of my clan."

Without hesitating, I held my arm over the tombstone and allowed it to drip over the necklace. _I swear to you, Devi, that I will find the betrayer. For you and for Nemain._

"I'm ready to go, if you are." I placed two fingers over the cut in my arm and encouraged my blood to heal the wound from the inside. There was a slight green glow before the wound closed itself, leaving nothing but a pink trace of another scar. Kakashi said nothing and I hazarded a glance in his direction; when his gaze met mine, I discerned the rising amount of questions. Questions he would not ask because he knew, based on my past responses, that I would refute them.

He nodded, finally, and together we took off into the forest, racing beneath the stars back to Konoha. _Konoha_. It wasn't home. I didn't have a home. But for now it would do. _Yes_, I decided, _for now._

_

* * *

_

Sarutobi rose to greet us when we walked into the room, abandoning his pipe briefly in order to generate a welcoming smile in my direction. His kindness surprised me and I squirmed beneath his gaze. "Good to see you return, Aian."

His words struck an inner chord of guilt within my heart. Since my arrival in Konoha, I never truly thanked him—or Kakashi—for their unwarranted kindness. In my personal misery, I'd spent my time attempting to turn from it. These people cared for me when I was dying, housed me when I was homeless, and even now, they aided me in my plight to find answers.

"I—" Words escaped me briefly and I had to force myself to make eye contact. "I wanted to apologize."

"There is no need to apologize." He placed his pipe down and walked over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder before I could back away. I tensed beneath his touch but forced myself to remain stationary. "Given the circumstances, you have handled yourself very well."

"You're wrong…" I disagreed, but paused before elaborating. Kakashi was a little ways off to my right and I glanced towards him, trying to gauge his reaction. He remained expressionless. "I've been selfish. I realize the pains Konoha has taken to provide for me and I'm ashamed that I've thought of no one but myself." I returned to meet Sarutobi's understanding gaze and smiled shyly. "From now on, you have my cooperation and my alliance. I'll tell you anything you need to know about the Daraku—and the Seikatsu."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: If you have not read past Chapter 375 in the manga, and you don't like spoilers, I suggest you do not continue reading this.**

** I spent all day writing this chapter and revising to make sure I got my facts straight. It's late and I'm tired so I may have missed some errors; let me know if you catch any. Otherwise, read, enjoy, and review to let me know you people are actually trudging through this thing! :)**

**-Bay**

***Update* Dividing lines were added. 8/22/2010  
**

**Chapter Five**

My hand hovered above the handle of my kanon, tensed and ready to withdraw it at a moment's notice. A small breeze rushed past, highlighting the pleasant atmosphere of the cloudless afternoon, but I was too taut to notice. One stray thought, one moment of lowering my guard, and it would all be over.

The others were in the distance, perched in treetops or hidden in the shadows where they could view the exhibition without interference. Based on the feel of their chakra, I knew Sandaime was there, along with Uchiha Itachi, and a few other jounin. Few wanted to miss the acclaimed training session between Kakashi and myself. This was the moment they had all so patiently waited for—the moment I presented the curiosities of my hijutsu and the power of the Seikatsu.

Despite it all, if I could have had things my way—and if I hadn't made that ridiculous promise with the Third—I would have taken a rain check.

But that wasn't my predicament.

Instead, I was in a small field next to a stream, standing beside three wooden pillars and a killed in action memorial.

"My, my," Kakashi stood lazily before me, arching the brow of his visible eye, as he closed the book he had been reading upon my arrival, placed it in his pack and withdrew a kunai in its place, "by the looks of things, I'm going to have to take this seriously."

"Yes," I agreed, moving my hand towards my darya instead. "That would probably be wise."

I decided not to let him make the first move; in a flash, I extracted the knife and rushed forward. The fact that he chose his kunai meant he wanted to test my strength and gauge my abilities as an opponent. I opted to do the same, deciding to wait on presenting my kanon until it became a necessity.

_Taijutsu._ Though I was the Fighter in the Vashna, taijutsu was not my strongest form of attack. Most of what I knew was defensive hand-to-hand combat; the rest of my expertise rested in long distance fighting. However, my previous training sessions were not useless. Though it wasn't my _chosen_ method to fight, it didn't mean I couldn't hold my own.

But, as our weapons met with a desperate ring, I knew Kakashi was no pushover. He was fast, probably faster than I was, and he was holding back.

I lashed out with my darya, aiming for an opening I saw near his sternum, but my blade met nothing but open air as he stepped back just in time. He countered immediately, leaping to the side and tossing his kunai towards my heart. Instead of moving from my position, I chose to duck, and the sound of whistling metal rushed over my head, singing the song of battle that I knew so well. Though I hadn't wanted to conduct this skirmish, the pervading feelings of battle—memories of my war-stained history—affected me greatly. Some part of me wanted to win; some part yearned to prove myself.

Four shuriken flew in my direction before the kunai had a chance to land; this time I couldn't afford to remain in my current location. I narrowly avoided two and used my darya to negate the others, moving forward in the process. Kakashi had another kunai out and we met head on, attempting to find weaknesses in the other's defense. The muscles in my arms reacted to every strike of our weapons; I could feel the clash of metal against metal down to my very bones.

At one point, I swept the ground with my leg, endeavoring to knock his own legs out from beneath him, but Kakashi jumped into the air before I could strike him, and retaliated by stabbing downwards with his kunai as I was rising back up to a crouch. I blocked the edge of it with the guard on my left arm, temporarily using my right hand to balance myself from the force of his attack. We remained in a deadlock until he kicked out, forcing me to roll out of the way and break my defense.

When I managed to look up, Kakashi was gone.

I waited, searching for his chakra, but my racing heart was the only thing that answered in the silence.

A slight tremble in the ground was the only warning I had before his hand shot out from beneath me. "Doton! Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu!"

"Shit!" I focused chakra into my feet and leapt into the air, hoping to evade his grip, but his hand wrapped firmly around my ankle and pulled me back to the ground, causing me to lose my darya in the process. I'd managed to draw far enough away that he could not pull me under, but with his hold on me, I couldn't move back to safety as he erupted from the earth.

The force from which he exploded from the ground propelled him forward at an unsightly speed. With kunai in hand, he aimed for my vitals, and in my current unbalanced state, there would be no way I could completely evade him.

_Then I'll just have to fight through him_. The click of my holster was the only sound I heard before the crack of the silver krynura struck the air when it escaped the barrel of my kanon, piercing Kakashi in the stomach. He muffled a groan and I took the opportunity to land a few meters off; I didn't lower my guard, however, and I kept my kanon trained on his body.

But before the body hit the ground, it disappeared into thin air and acknowledged my suspicions. _Tch. It was a Kage Bunshin after all. _

I was glad I made a batch of ammunition before the battle, deciding that since I had the advantage of preparing ahead of time, I might as well use it. Though I could imbue my blood faster than most of the other Fighters in my clan, it still took time and an opening. Both of which I feared I might not have against Kakashi. Normally Nemain would have protected me long enough for me to complete the process, but since I was on my own, I had to improvise.

A spark of chakra touched my senses from behind and I turned swiftly, holding my finger firmly on the trigger in preparation. And although I was prepared to see him racing towards me, I was not ready to apprehend the screaming blue chakra resting in his hand. It struck out in all directions, reaching to sear and ravage the first object it touched. _Pure chakra,_ I observed in my admiration.

But that wasn't the only surprise. As I examined his expression, I realized that his left eye was now exposed, and it was only then that I understood what I was facing. My previous conversation with Itachi, when he mentioned his surname, tickled my thoughts, and I recalled associating the name Uchiha with a form of doujutsu. Now, as I stared into the determined depths of that red eye, I remembered. _That is the legendary Sharingan._

_

* * *

_

"Kakashi-sempai might be overdoing it." Itachi spoke quietly from his perch. Since he wasn't on duty, his features were exposed, and he wasn't wearing the traditional ANBU vest; instead, he wore the usual black training outfit that he typically sported around his home.

"I think she might surprise us." Sandaime countered, "Look at her expression."

Indeed, Itachi noted, she hadn't lost her confidence yet. He listened to the conversations between the few other jounin below him; they were taking bets on the winner.

"He's using his Sharingan. There's no way she can beat him now!"

"Yeah, but that Aian kid has a bloodline limit; he can't copy her techniques."

"Maybe it will end in a draw."

The conversation continued, but he tuned the rest out once the sound of Chidori reached his ears. At the distance Kakashi was from her, there was no escape, and from what he had seen, Itachi knew that her weapon could not repel pure chakra. Unless she had an ace up her sleeve, she was in a dire situation.

* * *

My darya laid a ways off and I cursed inwardly. He was mere seconds away from impact, moving swiftly. I had been right—he was _definitely_ faster than I was.

Without my knife, I could not cut my skin properly, but there wasn't time to retrieve it. Instead, I angled the top edge of my arm guards and ran it fiercely through the vein in my left wrist. Silver blood gurgled to the surface and dripped down my arm, but I didn't bother admiring its sparkling sheen. I quickly dipped my fingers into it and formed the seal on the back of my left hand, switching my kanon to my other one, as I held up my bloodied hand, almost as if gesturing him to halt.

He didn't, of course, and as the impact finally arrived, I triggered my technique.

"Chidori!"

"Hogo Souchi no Chimamire!"

I felt my blood dissolve on my skin once the seal began to feed off it. My chakra within it glowed briefly and the air in front of my hand became denser, seemingly expanding as my jutsu took affect. I didn't see the rest, however, because at that moment, Kakashi's Chidori hit my shield, igniting the blood chakra particles within it and causing an explosion that forced us both to retreat to avoid injury.

As the smoke cleared, I caught his stare; neither of us bothered to move, but we remained alert, prepared to continue on a moment's notice.

"That's enough you two." Sandaime's voice rang out with resounding authority, and I immediately relaxed when he came into view. "Looks like Itachi was right. You _did_ get carried away."

"Yeah. It would seem." Kakashi covered his sharingan with his forehead protector and gazed at me curiously.

My eyes widened at the sight of his hand, burned and bleeding slightly from the impact with my blood shield. His carefree smile confused me, "Wind will always beat lightning." He was talking about elemental chakra of course, but I realized in all my days of fighting, I never really knew my affinity. "You mean you did that on a whim?"

"Well…" I took the moment to avert my attention to placing my kanon back in its holster, suddenly embarrassed. "I never gave much thought to it. Shielding wasn't my specialty, and I only did it if Nemain wasn't there…"

"Chidori has never failed to break through solid obstacles." There was a question in that statement; I could sense it. His curiosity was undeniable and though I wanted to forgo the explanations, I had a promise to keep.

"That was a shield made from my blood. The seal focused it into my hand and bound my chakra in the blood particles to those in the air, fusing them until the air itself became strong enough in that area to block your attack."

I saw a hand out of the corner of my eye and sidestepped instinctively, pivoting to bring the person in to full view. Itachi's smile held some amusement, but he merely handed me my darya in response. "I believe this is yours."

"T-thanks." I placed the knife it its rightful spot on my hip and turned towards Kakashi once more, allowing my stare to travel to his hand. "If you want, I can probably heal that."

After using Hogo Souchi no Chimamire I was slightly tired, but since it was the only ninjutsu I used, my chakra wasn't running extremely low. Healing Kakashi, I gauged, wouldn't pose a problem. He had seen me heal my own wound the day I buried Devi, so my suggestion did not elicit the same reaction in him as it did the others.

"Heal?" A jounin quizzed, pressing for further information.

I nodded, "Devi was the Healer in my Vashna, but I can still do enough for minor wounds. You see, Devi, Nemain, and I could all do the fundamentals in all three areas of battle; we merely balanced one another out with our specializations. Though they didn't use it like I did, they still carried a kanon and could make krynura, just not at my level." I recalled that deadly battle the night I lost my partners, "One person doing all three, as I said before, is possible, but also suicide." _I ran out of chakra too quickly…_

Kakashi approached and gave me his hand. The wound on my arm was still open, and I smeared my blood on the burn. Then, focusing on my chakra within the blood, it became a vibrant green as it dissolved the traces of his wound.

"Your bloodline limit is extremely powerful." Sandaime finally stated after the last of Kakashi's burn disappeared.

"It has its downside as well." I glanced at my audience and sighed inwardly. "Aside from needing three people to execute the full extent of it, the Seikatsu aren't normal shinobi. For instance, I can't use normal ninjutsu such as Bunshin. And genjutsu is out of the question. Everything I do must use my blood."

"That's why you can use Kuchiyose." Itachi speculated, more to himself than to me.

"That is correct."

"Interesting…" The ANBU captain's voice trailed off into thought. I didn't ask him to elaborate.

But as I met each pair of eyes that witnessed my debut, I saw what they were all thinking. Someone with my power had destroyed my clan and joined those that the Seikatsu had spent generations fighting. My kind was dangerous.

A sunset made its way along the horizon, hinting at the time. The Third cleared his throat, catching the attention of our wandering minds. "Thank you, both of you. This has proven to be an interesting day, but I must return to the Hokage building. Aian please meet with me tomorrow; I have something further to discuss."

I nodded my understanding and the shinobi began to disperse. Kakashi was the first to leave, exiting in a swirl of leaves. The rest moved out at amazing speeds and I felt their chakra presences leave my senses entirely. I decided not to return to my apartment just yet, and I plopped down at the base of one of the wooden pillars, using it as a backrest as I gazed up at the sky in wonder.

They were wary, perhaps more wary of me than I had ever been of them. It was discomforting, but some part of me had expected it. Blood techniques were legends, but nothing more. Having witnessed them for the first time, the Konoha jounins, and Sandaime himself, were going to have to rethink their positions.

_They think I'm dangerous…_ I closed my eyes in memory, _but they have no idea. They still don't understand the Daraku. Or the Jikan no Jutsu. _

In comparison, I thought, the traitor and I were the least of their worries.

* * *

Itachi did not retreat to the Uchiha clan immediately. Instead, he followed Sandaime and made his way into the large circular room at the top of the Hokage building. The old man took his seat at the desk and glanced haphazardly at a stack of paperwork he would have to finish before retiring for the night. He waited patiently for the Uchiha to speak his mind.

But the young jounin was staring out one of the large windows, taking in the sight of his home and the woods and the land beyond. He appeared distracted, lost in thought. Perhaps, Sandaime reasoned, it was Aian. Or maybe it was his current mission—_that _had been bothering them both for some time.

He cleared his throat, drawing Itachi back to reality. "You aren't one to space out."

"My apologies Sarutobi-sama." He averted his gaze from the view and forced himself to meet the eyes of the Hokage, "I'm worried."

"Hm." Sarutobi grumbled an agreement. "I'm trying my best to work out an agreement with your clansmen. I'll do whatever I can to prevent that coup d'etat."

Itachi shook his head; Sarutobi noticed a glint of sorrow edging its way in his expression. "It won't work. The Uchihas are too proud and they are set on this. Konoha's distrust has merely reopened the wound and their hatred; they won't back down now."

"We still have time to work things out. I know Danzou and the other elders are making this difficult for you, but don't listen to their ultimatums." The Third thought of the leader of Root and frowned. "Don't rush into something that can be avoided while there is still hope."

"I know," Itachi agreed. The act that Danzou had suggested nearly made him sick. How could he even consider such a thing? The Uchihas were his family, his friends, and his heritage. Yet, the Leaf was his home; if the planned rebellion occurred, Konoha and the Fire Country would be thrown into disarray. Itachi could remember walking through the bodies as a child in the Third Shinobi World War; despite his maturing mind, he never truly forgot the blood stains at his feet and the smell of the decaying dead. He would never allow his village to fall into the madness of war, not if he could prevent it…

He pushed the thought from his mind and switched his focus.

"Aian-san has a lot of potential."

Sarutobi noted the change in the subject and decided it was for the best. "I agree. She's easily of jounin level to have fought on par with Kakashi. Her tactics would serve us well in ANBU."

Itachi had been thinking along similar lines. "Perhaps," he considered his wording, "she could join my squad. We can gather information on the Daraku and I can integrate her into Konoha's system. Maybe if she feels like she has a place, she will be more inclined to stay."

"You think she is valuable, eh?" Sarutobi chuckled. "Containing her power here in Konoha is a wise decision. Of course, if she decides to go, I won't stop her, but if the Daraku are up to something, we will need her knowledge." His features softened a bit. "It won't be easy though. She's a wanderer at heart and if she doesn't think we're making any progress, whether she feels needed here or not, Aian will likely leave."

"I'll take her with me tomorrow with your permission." Itachi's voice was soft, calm. Sarutobi had always liked the young man—genius shinobi aside—and he hated that the current predicament regarding the future of his clan had become his burden to carry.

The Third sighed at the thought of the Uchihas and lit his pipe, giving Itachi a nod of leave, "I'll let her know in the morning."

As the door shut, Sarutobi let out a stream of smoke in quiet reflection. Aian could indeed become an asset, but that wasn't the main reason he placed her in Itachi's care. The Third could see the young ANBU captain's interest; there was a chance he associated her current predicament with the similarities of his impending choice. Perhaps, the Hokage secretly hoped, they could help each other. Perhaps Aian could buy him time…


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Special thanks to Drazehv for the very encouraging reviews. It's quite possible that you are the reason I buckled down to write this chapter! **

**A point to consider while reading: I have an idea where I want this to go, but it requires a lot of research on my part. I try my best to avoid making mistakes, but it's entirely possible. If you happen to catch anything out of sync with the Naruto manga, contact me. Incorporating Aian's story into the Naruto storyline is hard enough.**

**Once again, thanks for reading.**

**-Bay**

**Chapter Six**

"Something doesn't add up." I spoke my mind freely in the presence of the Hokage, much to the surprise of Itachi. "And it's bothering me."

Sarutobi sighed. He hadn't even had the chance to brief me on my mission. "What is it?"

"If Konoha knew nothing of my clan or of the Daraku, how did you know where to send the ANBU team?"

"A missive was sent from someone in your clan requesting assistance."

This shocked me. The Seikatsu, to my knowledge, would never ask for outside aid, no matter how dire the situation. And, also, the major attack happened swiftly in the dead of night. There was no time to send messages. Who would have had the forethought to send a message and why to Konoha? My brow furrowed in frustration. "That's impossible…"

Could the traitor have sent it in preparation? _Preparation for what? Aian, damn it, you make no sense._ Why expose the Seikatsu at the dawn of their extinction?

"You've never held a contract with a Seikatsu, right?" I knew Sarutobi's involvement in the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars. I also knew my clan's participation in them. "Or a Daraku for that matter?"

"To my knowledge, you are the first living Seikatsu I have ever seen." His response was patient, understanding, but also thoughtful. He was likely considering the direction my questioning was taking us.

I glanced away in thought, "Something is off. The Seikatsu didn't have the time to send a message. I'm wondering why the person who sent it wanted to get Konoha involved in the first place. It's almost as if we have both been framed…"

Both Itachi and Sandaime tensed at my words. What would the Daraku and a lone Seikatsu want with Konoha? Our clans fought in the wars, but we never held personal vendettas against the people or clans we fought with or against. Our only permanent enemy had been one another.

"What if my squad wasn't supposed to find Aian?" Itachi suggested slowly. "She was suppose to be dead, or captured at least. But she got away."

I remembered the Daraku known as Takuma. He hadn't planned to kill me. He was going to seal off my chakra vein and lock away my powers as a shinobi. _Then what?_ I forced myself to think back. For two weeks after the deaths of Devi and Nemain, I had hidden and attempted to strike back. The Daraku knew I lived and hunted me, one after the other. Until that dreadful day when I thought it was truly the end of my reign—the end of my life.

"That still doesn't explain why Konoha was summoned." Sarutobi spoke at last, clearly shocked at the astonishing twist this new revelation added to the current predicament.

I shook my head with just as much confusion. "I don't know." When our eyes met, I read the concern in the lines of his wrinkled face, "I suspect we're going to find out soon enough."

"I'll send a different team on the former mission assigned to you. Instead, you will join Uchiha Itachi and two other ANBU on a special scouting mission around the edges of the Fire Country." Sandaime moved to the front of the window, gazing out at the busy streets of his village. "If something appears out of place, investigate, but try not to let others see you."

I hazarded a glance in Itachi's direction, allowing my gaze to linger on his deferent position and bowed head. "Why this particular method?"

The Third turned, "We can't act until we have further information. We're practically working with ghosts right now. The Daraku could be anywhere with plans of their own. And the Seikatsu betrayer is likely with them. If they sent for Konoha, then they are likely targeting the Fire Country, or the village itself. We will have to move with great caution to unravel this mystery." He gave me a brief, worried smile. "Aian, we're counting on you."

* * *

Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, the Special Assassination and Tactical Squad, also known as ANBU for short, was not what I expected.

But there was no denying it, as I placed the wolf mask over my face, that Sandaime fully intended to place me under his command and directly into the heart of Konoha's most prestigious organization.

I stared at the reflection in the mirror—a reflection I almost couldn't believe was my own. Strands of my burgundy hair fell around the mask, highlighting its feral appearance. I'd followed Sarutobi's advice and replaced my normal light armored clothing for the black sleeveless shirt, pants, and the gray vest of my future comrades.

I chose to wear my own arm guards, however, knowing the unfamiliar metal guards of ANBU would likely hinder me if I needed to draw blood. They were much larger than the light leather I typically donned and they did not expose the flesh on my wrist, as I required.

My kanon and darya sat in their rightful positions on my hip. I could see my silver blood gleaming in the krystak; it was alive with my chakra, swirling in its own metallic sheen. The krynura would be weak, but after debating the extent of the mission, I decided that weaker would be more efficient. If I needed information, it wouldn't do me any good to kill someone in one shot.

A familiar presence touched my senses and I turned from the mirror at a knock on my door. "You can come in, Itachi-san."

The door opened and the Uchiha captain stood before me in matching attire. I noted the swirling tattoo on his upper left arm and two swords strapped on his back, the ninjato that every ANBU member carried.

Sarutobi's elderly voice rang in my mind from the morning's meeting:

"_The tattoos identify members of ANBU. Their placement is a manner of tradition. Should you ever carry the official name of a Konoha shinobi and become a true member of ANBU, you will acquire one as well."_

I had laughed slightly, questioning his tactics. Was he trying to make me one of Konoha's own?

"Here." Itachi retrieved one of the ninjato and handed it to me. "You may need it."

"I'm not much for swords." I grasped the sheath and placed it in its rightful position on my own back. "Although this one is lighter than most."

He nodded in agreement. "The others are waiting. Are you ready?"

"Hai."

"Let's go then."

* * *

We flew through the forest in silence, hopping from tree to tree. Itachi and another member of our squad were in the lead, leaving me to travel in companionable peace with the final member of our team. Occasionally I felt him glance at me, but he would not question my presence. He would not ask my name or my affiliation. Such was the secrecy and code of ANBU. I could wear that mask and become whatever I wished. It was almost liberating.

At first, upon learning I would become a temporary part of ANBU, I was stunned, but after thinking on it, I realized it made perfect sense. Sandaime was playing it safe. He could have me work on the tedious mystery of my clan and the Daraku in relative confidentiality. I'd gain access to top-secret information and I could work through the puzzles at my own pace.

Assigning me to Itachi was also a wise move on his part. By placing me in the care of the Uchiha, Sandaime could monitor my movements while allowing me a great amount of freedom. Yes, ANBU was indeed liberating, but I was also aware of its role as a cage.

Despite these factors, I didn't mind. Konoha had reasons to be wary, and Sandaime had his own role to play in the game. As Hokage, his village was priority, and having only been a wanderer, I was not someone who understood loyalty to place. Though he doubted I would betray my promises, he wasn't going to take chances.

The trees were thinning and Itachi signaled us to slow. "There is a village just outside these woods. We must proceed with caution." He glanced around quickly before coming to a complete halt, forcing us to follow suit. "Let's remain on the outskirts and break into groups of two. We'll meet again on the other side."

"You," he pointed at me to avoid stating my name, "will come with me."

The other two immediately split off in the opposite direction and Itachi motioned for us to depart as well.

The former conversation with the Third invaded my mind. With every new piece of information, another mystery or complication was unveiled. Nothing fit. My clan was betrayed to the enemy by one of our own. An enemy bred into every Seikatsu member from birth. No one ever considered treachery. No one believed it possible. Before the genocide, and I was certain it was _before_, Konoha was summoned to assist without much information regarding the predicament. Fate allowed Itachi to cross my path before any of the other remaining residents of those mountains, and they had swiftly taken me away before the Daraku could intervene. But had they _really_ had other plans?

"Why were the Seikatsu and Daraku constantly at war with one another?" Itachi broke the silence with his calm analytical tone.

"That's a difficult question to answer…"

_Why?_ There were so many reasons, and yet, not many of them held much meaning. Habit. History. Purpose. All those things blended together. I wasn't even sure there _was_ one true answer. "The Seikatsu and the Daraku have a long history. One stained in blood…as so many things in this world are. Our names—the Seikatsu and the Daraku—weren't family names. Daimyo lords granted them to us during the First Shinobi World War—when shinobi became the prominent military power. Though we existed before then in smaller numbers, the War allowed the Daraku and the Seikatsu to rise to shadowed fame. The primitive techniques of the time paled in comparison to our hijutsu and daimyos fought to gain our allegiance. In some ways, the rivalry between our clans compares to that of yours and the Senju."

He tensed at my last bit of information; I'd done my homework. "The First Shinobi World War? There are no documented battles between the Uchiha clan and yours."

"Of course not." I countered. "The Seikatsu and the Daraku have always been bathed in obscurity and mystery. While most families and clans fought in the light of day, in the name of the countries, we were hired in darkness." I touched my kanon, "We were assassins."

"A clan of assassins?" He wondered how they maintained such secrecy.

"That's right. They never hired the entire clan at once. As I said, my ancestors did not fight on a battlefield. Our battles were fought in the shadows of the affluent mansions belonging to political figures. It is highly unlikely that the Seikatsu fought the Uchiha. The Senju and the Uchiha fought on the front lines with other families, growing famous in name and status, but in the shinobi underworld, the Daraku and the Seikatsu reigned supreme.

"When the Senju and the Uchiha clans finally agreed to end the fighting, and the Fire Country found peace, slowly the other warring nations followed suit. Konoha was founded then, and the man from the Senju clan attained the title as the First Hokage of your village, as you know."

I paused in thought and Itachi seized the opportunity to speculate, "With peace returning, what happened to the Seikatsu then?"

"We disappeared with the Daraku. Those that remembered our ghastly existence sought us out for occasional assassinations, but with time, we were forgotten. Or shunned. The Seikatsu had no place during the war—we had no country, no affiliation or loyalty. Afterwards, we were no longer welcome. The countries feared our presence and ordered us away. My ancestors returned to roaming the land, but though war had disappeared, the hatred between the Daraku and the Seikatsu did not."

"So the war continued amongst the two clans." Itachi murmured through his mask, thinking that the story was indeed much like that of the Uchiha. Except, the Uchiha had attempted peace—a fragile peace that was slipping away before his eyes.

"The battles between the Seikatsu and the Daraku became something of habit, I think. Until the day my clan died, I never realized how reliant we were on war. It was the purpose of our existence."

"Peace seems transient at times," Itachi spoke quietly, "but not impossible."

I disagreed. I admitted, Konoha's tranquil nature surprised me, but there was something brewing beneath the façade. I firmly believed that true peace was nothing but an illusion. "You really believe that?" I quizzed, "I'm not a fool, Itachi. You sought me out that day I tried to leave—you mentioned that we were the same. I don't know all the details, but I've been watching, and I've been attempting to learn. I don't trust your clan."

He stopped, then. His body froze in place and I could tell my words shattered the harmony of his thoughts. "What are you saying?"

His actions confirmed my suspicions. "I'm the descendent of some of the best shinobi assassins. I've trained to observe, to analyze, and to draw conclusions. And I know that hatred can be masked, even dulled, but never forgotten."

Itachi forgot his composure as he attempted to gauge how many of his secrets I knew. Since he first caught my interest the morning that I buried Devi, I spent my free time researching, attempting to discover just what I was getting myself into when I chose to mix with the Leaf.

"I don't know what you are suggesting, or what you suspect of the Uchiha clan." He finally found his voice, "However, you would be wise to worry about your own situation. Don't get involved with things you do not yet understand."

I opened my mouth to retort, angered by his sudden defensive vehemence, but I never got the chance. In the distance, a shot rang out, and before Itachi could stop me, I was running—running towards the unforgettable and incredibly familiar sound of a kanon.

* * *

Panicked pleas reached my ears before the village came into view. I slowed my pace and landed on the ground at the outer edge of the forest, using the trees for cover. The village wasn't large, but a wooden wall blocked my vision. Slowly, after observing my surroundings, I dashed from the foliage and towards the shelter of the shadows along the wooden frame of the fence.

Quietly, despite the thundering of my heart, I leapt over the fence and into an alley where I crouched behind a few forgotten boxes. As I crept closer towards the street, I heard a desperate scream and the shouts of men.

"What do you want with us?"

"Let her go, you bastard!"

"Leave this place! You aren't welcome here!"

Nervous whispers followed the angry shouts and I struggled to see past the crowd from my position. Finally, I abandoned my attempts and clambered up the side of the nearest building, laying low on its roof as I peered over the side.

My blood froze at the sight of two dark gray hooded cloaks. One of them held a young struggling woman by the wrist and addressed the crowd. "Where is Konoha?"

"There's no way we're telling you!" The girl found some hidden courage and spit in the shinobi's face. I smirked in approval, but it didn't last long. The other shinobi silently formed the hand seals of the jutsu I knew all too well, confirming my suspicions and my deepest fears.

"Very well. If you won't tell us, we will destroy every village in the Land of Fire until we find it." The Daraku holding the woman spoke arrogantly and tossed her to the ground.

I had to act, I realized, before they slaughtered the villagers like cattle. With a controlled effort, I reached for my kanon, cursing silently as I remembered the weak level of krynura in the krystak. But, I thought, if I could catch them by surprise, they wouldn't have time to block my attacks. Besides, I had questions. Numerous questions that killing them wouldn't answer.

The kanon slid out of the holster and rested easily in my grip. I aimed for the stomach of the one performing the jutsu, hoping he would live long enough for me to get my answers. _I hope you rot in hell, bastard._

I fired two bullets and they hit my target accordingly, knocking him off his feet and to his knees in pain. I would worry about him in a minute. The other one was staring at his partner in a sort of daze while his mind groped for an explanation. However, he forced himself to snap out of it and immediately began to form the seals to create a barrier. It was very similar to some of the shields created by the Seikatsu, but it required him to expand his chakra around himself in all directions, halting the flow of time so my krynura could not pass.

I was going to need a much stronger bullet than the weakly imbued blood currently in my krystak.

Grabbing my darya, I sliced a thin line along my wrist and placed two fingers on the cut. I concentrated on the chakra within the silver liquid, ordering it to become much denser. It heated under my touch and my blood turned the color of charcoal. Hastily, I ejected the krystak and allowed it to flow into the tube. It mixed with my weaker blood, but quickly conquered and transformed it.

The wounded Daraku was attempting to rise and his eyes searched the buildings for my presence. The shield of the other one had expanded to cover his injured partner, and I debated the chances of my krynura's capability to penetrate it. I did not know the strength of these two and if I fired again, they would watch the direction from which my bullets came. It was a hit or miss. If they were stronger than the bullet, I was going to run into problems.

A click from behind forced me to abandon my internal debate as danger registered in my mind. My hasty shield averted the bullet's original trail, forcing it to hit my shoulder instead of my heart as I rolled to the side and rose to my feet, training my kanon on my newest attacker.

But I nearly lost all sense of mind in my surprise. Surely, I was mistaken.

She stared at me with black eyes, and smiled knowingly as she tucked a stray stand of her flowing ebony hair behind her ears. "It's been a while Aian." Her words were cold, colder than the Snow Country had ever been. "We've been looking for you."

And, slowly, as I regained what little poise I could muster, a few pieces of the mental puzzle fell into place. I sliced my fingers on my right hand with my nail and placed them on the bleeding wound in my shoulder, urging it to heal. Words did not come to mind, immediately, but as anger overcame my shock, I finally found my voice. "You were dead…Nemain."

_You were frozen in time…_


	7. Chapter 7

**a/n: Hello everyone. So... I didn't die. And, to tell you the truth, after this past year of classes, that bit of information might be a miracle. I was recently inspired to finish this chapter (which was *mostly* finished for over a year in My Documents). It is a bit long, but I felt like it had to be. I don't know if anyone reads this story anymore. I suppose I will find out. I have many plans for this fanfic that I intend to execute over the course of the summer, so please stay tuned! Oh, and R&R. Suggestions are more than welcome and taken with an open mind.  
**

**-blue**

**Chapter Seven**

"ANBU?" She flashed her brilliant smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Konoha already has you wrapped around its finger."

I removed the mask, allowing it to clamor to the surface of the roof, and ignored her statement. "Why?" I couldn't think of a better way to ask. "The entire clan? Joining forces with the Daraku? Devi? You were one of my best friends."

"As you were mine." For a moment, I thought I saw a hint of remorse, but her features hardened before I could confirm it. "I don't want to kill you, Aian. I didn't kill you then, and I don't want to kill you now."

"Then what _do_ you want?"

The two Daraku shinobi leapt onto the roof. The uninjured one supported his comrade as they took their places behind Nemain.

I didn't look at them. Nemain and I were in our own world, bound by a former comradeship. We were standing off on a roof in a village with no name, our kanons aimed at one another. At that moment, the Daraku didn't matter. Nothing mattered.

I wanted answers.

"You were next in line to lead the clan. Everyone knew it." Nemain finally intruded on our silent battle of wills. "And the elders immediately began to train you for it; they wanted to mold you to their ideals, to their truths. You trusted them—we all did.

"But they were a bunch of stubborn fools. They refused to release the past. In these altering times, the Seikatsu clung to the old ways, when survival demanded that we change. Wandering? Why did we wander when all the families of the old Wars had homes? The Daraku? What tradition insisted that we fight them? Was there even a reason? They told us it was fate—it was our path from birth. But what did we gain?

"And what of the seclusion? Why did we have to go down in the books as legends. Why couldn't we be real to the world? It made sense to remain obscure in the Wars, when secrecy was paramount to survival, but the clans changed, the villages grew, yet we remained the orphans of the shinobi world. They told us it was necessary, that we were doing the right thing, but they lied!"

I listened intently, noting the growing accusations in her tone, and remembered my revelations in Konoha when I watched the streets from my window. _Fictitious claims._ That had been my thought. I'd grown up believing something that wasn't real. My clan was nothing but a cluster of deceit, a fragment of a past life. I understood Nemain's frustration.

"I couldn't let them transform you, Aian. You were too wise, too talented, to have to waste away on their conceptions of reality."

My eyes flashed a dangerous shade of gray, much like that of the blood in my krystak. "Transform _me_?" Calm down, I told myself. "Nemain look what you have become! A murderer, a traitor. You have become the liar that you loathed!"

Her anger flared to match mine. "We were murderers before, fighting a damn useless war!" She gritted her teeth, "It was a cycle and I chose to end it."

"How noble." I muttered, trying to figure out how she was pushed to betray us. Who gave her the thoughts circulating in her head? "Destroy the innocent to spare them their ignorance and suddenly you're a _hero_? What about Devi? She healed your wounds; she was your friend, your partner. That was your bullet in her body."

She flinched at Devi's name. "I had no choice."

"Well, unfortunately for you, I promised her I would find the traitor." I leveled my kanon, aiming at her head, "You know I don't break my promises. I'm afraid that _I_ have no choice."

"You will try to kill me even when I tell you that you can have a home?" She held up her hand to stop the Daraku from stepping in, ordering them to wait.

"A home?" What was she talking about?

"Do you remember the man that arrived in the Snow Country a year ago in search of the Seikatsu?"

I thought back. My clan always regarded foreign shinobi with extreme suspicion, especially if they knew our whereabouts. To protect us, the elders sent most of us away, and I hardly caught a glimpse of our visitor. But I vaguely recalled his arrival. At the time, a few consecutive stringent battles had demanded my attention. "I remember."

At my affirmation, she continued. "Though we were not supposed to see or speak to this man, I lingered nearby during his meeting with the leader. He was one of the first shinobi I had ever seen that _wasn't_ a Daraku. And I was curious." She tried to read my expression, but I made sure it didn't reveal my thoughts. "He proposed an allegiance and told the leaders that the Seikatsu could join him when he founded his village. We would have a place to call our own and positions of power within his system. In other words, we would escape the demands of the wandering life."

"And in exchange for what he offered, what did he demand of the Seikatsu?" I didn't like the sound of this story and my mind worked through the flaws of the man's proposition.

"That we serve him and remain loyal. War was on the horizon, he said, and he needed our skills."

"What about the Daraku?"

"He told them he would make the same offer to the Daraku, and we could reach a truce." Nemain scowled in thought, "But of course, their pride blinded them. They refused his offer and sent him away."

I wasn't surprised. The elders didn't like change. And they didn't want our clan to be subservient to anyone. In their position, I would have responded similarly. Strangers could not be trusted, especially strangers that offered power. Apparently, the allure had been too great for Nemain to resist. _Damn her curiosity._ "He went to the Daraku, I'm guessing?"

"I followed him." She admitted smugly. "They received him well. Unlike the stubborn elders of our clan, theirs were willing to listen and negotiate. I heard the demands of the contract, and at first I was horrified. In exchange for their cooperation, the man had to assist in the eradication of the Seikatsu. I fled, then, determined to warn our leader—and you.

"But he had known I was there all along and he cut me off. Never before had I felt fear as I did when I looked into the eyes of this stranger. However, he told me that he understood my frustration with the Seikatsu. He explained the world of the shinobi and I realized everything I knew was likely falsely misinterpreted. And finally, he asked if I alone would join him." She waited for me to say something, continuing only when she realized I was awaiting the conclusion. "A place to call home, a position in his military force, access to the world from which our leader selfishly barred us. How could I refuse?"

As the story fell together, piece by piece, my lust for revenge began to burn hotter in my conscious. "You plotted against the Seikatsu for your own selfish reasons."

"I wanted you to join me," Nemain stated firmly. "I figured you of all people would understand."

"Some things are beyond understanding Nemain. I could never have done what you did."

"There is no more senseless fighting between our two clans. We aren't sitting in the Snow Country dodging the Jikan no Jutsu. For the first time, you and I have tasted the freedom of the outside world. Can you not deny its intrigue?"

I faltered, slightly. She was right, in some ways. Konoha held a temporary place for me; I could come and go as I pleased. Though they still watched my actions, the Hokage and ANBU forged a path that I could walk if I so chose. Since my arrival in the Leaf, things had certainly changed. In just that short amount of time, I'd learned enough to last a lifetime—about secrets, history, loyalty. And the connection between the ways of old and the light of the emerging clans of new.

But I was still taking orders. I was still fighting. So long as shinobi existed, that sad truth would remain.

"Who is this man? What is his name?" There were still unanswered questions. "And why is Konoha involved? Did you send that missive?"

"I can't tell you his name. Not yet. When you pledge your loyalty to him, then I can tell you more." It sounded more like a joke, but her expression was serious. "And no, I didn't send that message. That was probably _his _doing. He didn't tell me everything."

I'd heard enough. How dare she deign to insist that I fall so low? How could she presume that I would bow before a man ultimately responsible for the descent of my clan. "You _fool_!" The anger I'd worked diligently to suppress finally became unbearable. "I will carry the title of the Leaf for the rest of my life before I _ever_ follow in your footsteps."

"If that is the way you feel," Nemain glared, "then there is no reason for you to live."

I remembered us as children, running and laughing—the three of us. I remembered her standing in front of me, my shield. I recalled her words to me the night of the massacre. That she'd never forgive me if I didn't survive. At that time, the Nemain I knew was still there—still alive. But this young woman, confused by a man's lust for power and her own desire for a place in the world, was only a ghost of the Seikatsu shielder of our vashna. This, I decided as I braced myself for what I needed to do, was _not _Nemain.

Our krynura left our kanons at the same time, signaling the beginning of a new war—a personal war.

_No, Itachi_, _you were wrong._ I prepared to shield myself from the impact of Nemain's bullet and thought of Itachi's resonant hope. _Your peace is nothing but a desperate desire. This is proof enough._

_

* * *

_

Itachi was furious, though he refused to let it show in the presence of his team. For the sake of his position, he maintained a cool commanding air, even as his eyes simmered with forcibly concealed rage. Running away like Aian had, half-mad in her anxiety, was a sure way to get killed. For someone accustomed to working with others, she did a pleasant job of forgetting Sandaime's orders to remain hidden and ignoring his own order to move with caution. Were all the Seikatsu this inflexible?

Instead of chasing after her, he decided to regroup with his team. There was no sense falling into a trap. He was sure Aian could likely hold her own until help could arrive. But even that thought didn't dull his anger. _The Third is going to have my head._

Within minutes after her departure, he had heard the two shots of the kanon in the distance, and his stomach flipped nervously. Did she go running into the village like a possessed demon? Surely, she had more sense than that…

His comrades had found him immediately and he briefed them on the situation. Their unspoken reactions made Itachi suspect they were no happier about Aian's flighty escapade than he was.

As the buildings of the village came into view, he naturally slowed down. Aian may have rushed in, but he would not make that mistake. He needed to assess the situation first.

"Captain, up there."

Itachi discovered it didn't take him long to 'assess'. As he followed the finger of his team member, the situation made itself very clear. Aian and three enemies stood on the rooftop of a nearby building, and she was angry.

Both kanon's released a resounding cry and Itachi watched helplessly as the former conversation between the two Seikatsu became the fuel that fed the fire.

* * *

Neither of our krynura broke the other's shield. Having trained in the highest art of defense, it was no wonder hers was impenetrable. But it worked both ways. Her krynura wasn't strong enough to pierce through my weaker barrier. If we played by those rules, then we were going to be at a deadlock until one of us ran out of chakra.

As the smoke cleared, we locked gazes and I could see she had similar thoughts.

I didn't give her time to voice them, however. Time was always crucial in ninja battles, but it was even more foreboding when my opponent was flanked by two shinobi with the power to control it. One break, one moment to breathe, and it could all crumble beneath me. I had to run, to move; I had to skirt the outer boundaries of the time itself.

I was playing a dangerous game.

The uninjured Daraku formed the seals for his attack on cue; I felt the change in the air, the merciless weight that threatened to devour me. This was the moment where Nemain would have protected me. Her barrier would have encircled us, blocking the effects.

But I was on my own this time. My feet moved of their own accord, dancing around the shadows of the Daraku's jutsu as I ran towards her. I couldn't see it—one can't see Time—but I could see her. And in the depths of my anger, my disappointment, and my shock, I was incapable of seeing anyone else. I heard the crack of her kanon as she attempted to force me into a different direction. I fired in return, aiming for her krynura with my own. When they struck each other, the particles of condensed chakra ignited, forcing us both to shield in order to escape the initial impact of the explosion that followed.

But still I refused to stop. An idea had swept through me like wind through the plains, as if the wind itself had whispered into my ear.

I used the explosion to my advantage, hiding within the shadows of the smoldering chakra. With my free hand, I locked the kanon back into the holster on my hip, hoping briefly that I wouldn't pay for it later, and retrieved the ninjato that Itachi had lent me. The ANBU sword felt heavy in my hands compared to my kanon, and it took a couple of seconds to adapt. Swords were not foreign to me—young Seikatsu were trained to use all weapons—but they were not primary or favored weapons either. I ran my wrist down the blade and bathed it in my silver blood, flinching slightly at the cool steel striking the vein.

_Kaze. _Kakashi's words were aiding me now, when he had informed me of my chakra affinity to wind. If I couldn't break through Nemain's barrier with my regular chakra, then logically combining it with the elements would strengthen my attack. I needed my blood as a base for the physical energy as I did for all of my jutsu, and in doing so, I could use my spiritual energies to mix the correct amount of chakra based on my wind element affinity.

The sword rang with the vibration and I felt the power humming through the blade. I saw the haunting glow of silver and heard the sharp notes of the wind's song. It wasn't perfect, I knew, because it was not dense enough; it was still wild and untamed in some ways, mirroring my wandering nature, my search. Did that mean, then, that I was doomed to a life of instability? The thought itself was almost enough to make me falter.

The cloud of dust began to settle, and I took two giant leaps, positioning myself low in order to take Nemain by surprise. It all happened within a split second—as that is the way of most shinobi battles—but I saw it all with surprising clarity: the widening of her eyes, the fumbling Daraku, and my own precision as I leapt up from my low charge, using an uppercut slash with the sword. She didn't have time to gauge the strength of my attack and respond with an appropriate barrier; instead, Nemain summoned one of her emergency shields, which I knew from experience was based on the mixture of her blood and the water in her body. It was a dangerous shield, requiring one of the basic nutrients of life, but easily accessible since she could use herself as the medium.

It enveloped her body and acted as an armor, and in all the years that I'd known her, I'd never seen anything penetrate that shield. But this was different. My sword was howling, reflecting my own turmoil—my own inner rage. The wind chakra fed off that strength, swarming around the blade and clinging to it as if it were its last chance at life.

And then the ninjato struck the barrier, leaving a rippling trail as it swept away Nemain's defense. I felt the shattering more than I saw it; I was too busy executing the next plan of my attack. My left hand gripped my kanon, ripping it from the holster, as I pivoted to the right and brought the barrel level to her face until I was no more than a foot away.

There could be no hesitation on my part. Not with everything on the line. Nemain was the fastest shielder in any Vashna. In terms of execution, her speed was probably greater than my own. Those in charge of surviving or ensuring survival often rely on quickness; in dire situations, it was Nemain's duty to act swiftly. If I allowed her to create another shield, it would be stronger than the one I'd just broken, and prepared for my attack.

I had a plethora of questions, but I knew that mercy wouldn't answer them either. My face was a mask, emotionless, determined. My mind was a different story, but I fortified it too, demanding that it focus. The shot rang out, echoing a final song of closure. When it hit, Devi could rest in peace, avenged, and I could rest too, as the avenger.

It was the tolling of the bell: clear, resolute, and with the distinct chime of finality.

* * *

Itachi watched the flow of chakra with his Sharingan. He hadn't intended to intervene until he understood his opponents. When it became a battle of three against one, the others prepared to rush to Aian's aid, but he ordered them to stand down. There was something important happening in this battle, a matter of honor and pride for Aian, and though he normally advocated smart teamwork, there was something about this fight that warned him not to interfere just yet. Sometimes inner peace had to come through outer violence. He didn't condone it, but to ignore it would be foolish.

This was a battle between clan members. It was a battle of vengeance, but it was also a battle to protect the world beyond family ties. In this case, Aian clearly valued the lives of the innocent over the life of her friend. This choice intrigued him—this singular desire to protect. The gumption to destroy a clan member did not come easily, even though she had done terrible things, but Aian did not falter in making her choice.

Aian's opponent, Nemain, was superb at manipulating chakra, he noted. She could summon, shape, and bind it almost effortlessly. In doing so, she created shields of varying degree of strength, and switched them within a matter of seconds. In terms of sheer chakra amount, Aian had more, but her opponent was better at reserving and reusing it to avoid overspending. Aian had the raw power, but lacked the precision of compacting the chakra and directing it.

Nemain had phenomenal control—better than he had himself. The Sharingan required a well-honed control of chakra in order to execute genjutsu, but this Seikatsu shielder, whoever she was, was a level beyond.

Aian's idea to use the sword surprised him. She had abandoned her own weapon to catch her opponent off guard, and then utilized elemental chakra to shatter the barrier. The shield hadn't been strong enough to sustain the damage and evaporated, leaving the Shielder unguarded. And then Aian made her final move—the move that could end the battle.

He concentrated, now, on watching Nemain. As soon as Aian aimed her kanon, Nemain rushed her chakra to her face with a speed almost too fast for the Sharigan to capture. By directing all of her chakra there, Itachi knew that the Shielder's defense probably increased ten fold in that area, but the rest of her body remained undefended.

The air in front of her face glowed with pure chakra as it compacted in preparation for the impact of the krynura.

Itachi frowned, realizing that Aian's bullet would not make it in time, and signaled for the members of his team to dispatch. The two shinobi behind Aian's opponent were generating a mass amount of chakra as well, and if she wasn't prepared, the tide of the battle threatened to change rapidly against her.

"Take the two in the gray cloaks out of the battle early," Itachi ordered as they moved out, "and prevent them from making seals. They manipulate time and it hinders movement like genjutsu. The element of surprise is our only ally here."

"And the Seikatsu?" One member was already forming seals.

Itachi closed his eyes, focusing on the power of his doujutsu. "Leave her to me."

* * *

Things are always bound to fail the first time around. It was especially true in the case of Nemain. I knew immediately what she intended to do as soon as I pulled the trigger. We fought this battle at a speed invisible to the naked eye, basing most of our actions and reactions on the instincts of knowing the other person. Nemain knew me well; she knew my attack style and my preferred range. She knew my weaknesses too. But my attacks could change, as I had done with the sword, to catch her unprepared. Her shields, on the other hand, though adaptable, were nearly always the same depending on the situation. I knew her reactions almost as well as she did.

I also knew that to avoid my krynura, she was going to have to minimize the protected area with a mass of her chakra, leaving her open in other places. I knew those openings by heart.

This left me with one last attack, one last chance.

I followed the krynura with a thrust of my ninjato, aiming as if I were about to stab her through the eye. This was to divert her attention from my actual goal. Using the shadow of the sword, I angled my kanon, this time training it on the tenketsu linked to the heart. It was a blind shot, almost, because I couldn't target with my eyes. But I'd spent my entire childhood training for moments like these when the blind shot became the only viable option.

My sword struck her chakra shield at the same moment that I released the krynura. The force of her chakra ran up the blade, forcing me to drop it before it burned my hand. It clattered to the roof just as I felt the krynura strike something and explode. I leapt back to a safer distance so that I could observe the outcome.

The chakra imbued within the blood of the krynura reacted, but it was a strange reaction. Instead of sinking into flesh or the rippling feeling of a shield, I felt it break through something hard and resilient. If it had hit her directly, it would have sunk in quietly, not reacted chaotically like a firework.

I held my kanon at eye level now, prepared for failure, but also curious to see the results.

"Who would have thought," I heard her voice from the clearing smoke, "that you would have used kenjutsu?"

It's hard to say what I was expecting to see, but I couldn't mask my surprise at the outcome. My eyes widened as my stare trailed the damage. Her left arm was in shambles; her hand was missing entirely. And then it hit me. She had protected her tenketsu at the last minute with her kanon as a physical barrier. The weapon was destroyed, having exploded when our chakras collided, and took part of her arm with her.

My finger shook against the trigger as I realized I had her right where I wanted her. In a moment, she would be dead. Her sides heaved with each ragged breath, and I could see her eyes glaze from blood loss and shock.

"What's his name?" I asked sternly, hardening my heart to her suffering. "The name of the man who damned you?"

She looked at me then, and I saw a trace of the old Nemain in her eyes. _It's a trap,_ I warned myself. But still I hesitated, plagued my old memories and loyalty. "Give me," I growled, "his name."

The Daraku stepped forward and my hesitation locked me into the Jikan no Jutsu. Sweat trickled down the side of my face as I began to shield myself. I was growing tired and it wouldn't last long, but I couldn't give up yet. Not when the end was within sight.

The wounded Daraku had recovered enough to support Nemain. His own shield now enveloped them, and I knew I had lost my chance for the finishing blow.

"You will forego the bond of the vashna, the bond of our clan, to protect a man who set you up for failure?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

Her gaze was still defiant, "What would you do even if I were to tell you? Hunt him down to avenge Devi and the rest of the clan?"

"Avenge Devi and the clan? By killing him?" I arched an eyebrow, "No, Nemain. I won't hunt him down for that. You killed them, not him."

"Then why?"

My smile was ironic, bitter. "To avenge _you_."

She faltered, looking away. I couldn't tell what she saw; it was a future that I couldn't reach, an inward searching towards a distance that I couldn't see. Perhaps that was the most frustrating thing—to be within reach of a person, to be capable of touching her flesh and hearing her voice, but to be further than two planets, on two opposite sides of a gulley where a river of our thoughts would flow without ever intersecting or meeting at a common end.

It was this notion that stung the worse. The knowledge that I couldn't save her.

My shield was at its limits; I was not trained to sustain it for so long. Nemain could see the quivering of my chakra and she smiled mockingly, flinching only slightly when she accidentally moved her arm. She glanced at the focusing Daraku. "Go ahead and kill her. She's made her opinion quite clear."

The chakra surrounding me began to withdraw and I grimaced at the incoming Jikan no Jutsu.

"I'm afraid that I can't let you do that."

I glanced behind at the sound of Itachi's voice only to meet his stare. His eyes, shadowed by the ANBU mask, revealed his two Sharingan eyes, glowing red in the hollows.

"Don't get caught in this," I warned him, referring to the Jikan no Jutsu.

He looked at the Daraku shinobi performing the technique and nodded. Suddenly the two other ANBU shinobi from my team were upon him. To avoid their weapons, the Daraku was forced to break his jutsu, freeing me from its binds.

Itachi stepped in front of me; his body was tense and absorbed in concentration. A stone would have given more away.

Because of the ANBU mask, I couldn't see where he was looking, but when Nemain suddenly froze, her face contorting in both surprise and pain, I had a vague idea.

His words were quiet, almost inaudible, and I barely heard them. "Magen: Kasegui."

_Genjutsu_. A well timed one, at that. Because of her weakness, Nemain would be incapable of countering it.

Nemain's sudden mental collapse caused the injured Daraku to lower the resistance of his shield. To bring her back to reality, he would have to insert a large amount of his own chakra into her to counter that of the genjutsu. But once he did that, the shield would expire and leave them wide open. His partner was busy fending off other two ANBU members and would be incapable of assisting him right away.

It became a matter of timing. Of simply waiting. But my eyes were always moving, roaming from enemy to enemy in search of the one moment when their defenses would fall away.

A flicker of light surrounding the injured Daraku cued me to fire. His shield wasn't completely gone, but my krynura was stronger. As the space surrounding him began to merge with the outer time, my krynura was well on its way. It hit him in the throat and flew straight out on the other side. Blood gurgled from his mouth, but he was already gone. The light in his eyes dissipated like a flame; one moment they had burned vibrantly with light and determination, and then without warning, the light was snuffed out like a smothered cinder.

Nemain was unguarded now, still a prisoner to Itachi's mind technique. The two ANBU had cornered the other Daraku. Two more krynura and this battle would be over. Two more krynura and I could sever my ties with my clan; I could walk away, reborn—the last of my kind.

But could I walk away? Truly? Or would I choose instead to hunt down the shinobi who ultimately destroyed everything I had ever known? Would I continue my hunt and allow thoughts of revenge to consume me?

"Don't do it for yourself." Itachi's words mirrored my thoughts, drawing me from my hesitant musings. I looked at him; he was watching me closely. "Don't kill her for selfish reasons. Is this justice for the crimes against you and your clan? Or justice for the things she might do in the future to others?"

I glanced up at the sky, embittered. "What is justice?" And then lowered my kanon, "It is not my place to enact justice. I will not walk that path."

Itachi might have smiled at my decision; I couldn't tell for sure. But he released Nemain from his genjutsu. She fell to the rooftop, unconscious.

"Magnificent." A resounding raspy voice arose from a swirl of smoke next to Nemain, causing me to jump. "You are truly magnificent!"

Itachi shifted beside me in recognition. "You are…!"

Standing there, in a black cloak ornamented with red clouds, was a man who chilled me to the bone. His smile was confident and amused, spreading over his features like a snake moving in for a kill, and his amber eyes bore into me through slit pupils. I couldn't find my voice; I couldn't decide between anger or fear.

"Orochimaru!"

_Orochimaru?_ A memory returned to me without warning. I remembered this man—that singular determination in his expression, that snake-like stare, and even his hair and clothing. I recalled his arrival to my clan and their suspicion. My Master's voice had demanded his name, and he had imparted it with confidence. His presence awoke the clarity of that memory and I saw it all as if I were living it again.

"I have heard much about you, Aian-san." His voice had a cadence that grated against my mind; it reminded me of rocks scraping against one another. "After watching your fight, I find that you intrigue me."

His twisted compliment woke me from my reverie and I regained some of my sense, "It was you? You did this to her?"

"She followed me willingly." He responded with a shrug. "Her insistence to find you was based on her desire to reunite. If you refused her offer, then her fight with you is none of my concern."

"Then what do you want?" Itachi asked, stepping towards me and grabbing my forearm just as I began to aim my kanon.

"Oh?" He smirked, "Nothing at the moment." Then he turned towards Nemain, "I merely wanted to see the outcome of the battle and now I'm retrieving my subordinate."

I jumped forward, determined to prevent him from taking Nemain, "No! She is not yours!"

Itachi had to act fast. He pulled me towards him, restricting my movements. "Stop it, Aian-san. You can't fight him right now. Even if you weren't already tired, he would be an extremely difficult opponent."

I growled, futilely struggling against Itachi, becoming angrier each moment he withheld me from accomplishing my goal. I had to protect Nemain from this man. Even if she hated me for the rest of my life; even if she was bent on destroying me, I could not allow her to remain within his clutches. "Let me go!"

Orochimaru picked her up over his shoulder and then passed a fleeting glance over the remaining Daraku. His expression hardened, "Do what you will with him. He has no use to me." And then he returned his amber eyes to me, searching me carefully. "I could grant you power beyond your imagination. You could—"

"—go to hell." I interrupted, forcing myself to meet his gaze head on. I wanted to sear him with my hatred, to burn his rotten soul with it. "You can go to hell!"

He laughed, amused. "I do not doubt that we _will_ meet again."

And though my anger broke my hand free from Itachi's grasp so that I could fire my kanon, the krynura pierced nothing but air. Orochimaru had used Shunshin no Jutsu, the ability to mobilize his chakra and carry himself a short distance at an untraceable speed.

He was gone. Nemain, too. And though I probably would meet him again, Nemain would be at his side. His _subordinate_.

I stood there, trembling with the fury of loss. _You can't save her. You failed. _Itachi stepped away, returning my freedom of movement, and I sunk to my knees.

"Damn it!" I punched the roof, denting it with my chakra imbued fist. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

"Enough." He said quietly, stopping my fist, and offering his hand. "You did what you could."

I looked up at him, allowing my exhaustion to seep through, and took his hand. He helped me to my feet and I retrieved my ninjato, returning it to its place on my back. "I will not chase her." I finally said with a sigh. "There isn't any point."

"What will you do then?"

I glanced over the village, thoughtful and saddened. I had learned some ugly truths that day, the piercing truths that come with loving and living. "I guess I will wait…" I thought back to the days of my vashna—our unity and friendship. Then I thought of our recent battle and the bridge between us. In the future, we would fight again, I knew. And it would be that final battle, whenever that day came, where I would destroy the bridge and try to rebuild it. Even if it meant killing her. "I will wait for her to find _me_."


	8. Chapter 8

**a/n: Well, here I am with another chapter. Work was slow today, hence my quick update. Thank you to my unknown review :) I believe that is a great idea, and when I find a spare moment, I'll be sure to update the first chapter with a helpful description of the weapons and whatnot. I forget, being familiar already with the words, that other people might get confused. Anyway, thanks all for reading. I was amazed at the traffic to my story yesterday. Please r&r with suggestions, comments, or anything else. And until next time...**

**-Bay**

**Chapter Eight**

"Orochimaru?" Sandaime shook his head, "His interest in the Seikatsu and the Daraku does not surprise me. His obsession with ninjutsu extends to bloodline limits. Since he can't obtain them for himself, I imagine he wanted to have access to those powers through subordination."

The room in the Hokage building smelled of pipe smoke and it took everything I had not to cough. I was only partially listening; my mind was drowning in thoughts from the all that I had learned. Things had once again flown a different route and I needed to rethink my direction.

Itachi was finishing his side of the report. _And then_, I thought,_ it's my turn._

On our return to Konoha, he had asked me very little in the presence of the other ANBU members. I couldn't tell if it was out of sheer politeness or just to be discreet. Now, however, I would have to share my secret—the entire burden of my story.

"Aian-san?" Sandaime sounded as if he had been calling my name for several minutes. "Aian!"

"Oh…sorry." I caught Itachi shaking his head out of the corner of my eye but chose to ignore it. I half expected that Sandaime had been lecturing me about running off to engage the enemy without an order from my Captain. Itachi had mentioned it briefly at the beginning. "What did you ask?"

Sandaime chuckled, "I wanted to hear your report on things. Who was the Seikatsu that you fought?"

I inhaled in preparation, wanting to get it feasibly out in one breath. "One of my former partners. Her name is Nemain. She is a highly trained and extremely powerful Seikatsu shielder."

"Your former partner?" This appeared to have caught Sandaime off guard, and even Itachi looked remotely shocked.

"It surprised me too."

"And she was searching for you?"

I nodded, "Yes, she wanted me to join her. I refused."

"Itachi mentioned that you injured her, but you didn't kill her." He didn't phrase it as a question, but there was one there, somewhere.

"I injured her when I destroyed her kanon. As of now, she is missing her left hand and will have limited use of her arm. I could have killed her when Itachi caught her in his genjutsu. I killed the one Daraku that I injured at the start of the battle, which left her unprotected." I paused then, unsure how to proceed. "I didn't kill her though because I didn't believe it was my right. I intended to allow Itachi to capture her and bring her here as a prisoner."

_Maybe she could have found a life here…_

"Orochimaru intercepted, however, and took her away."

"Our interrogation unit is questioning the Daraku that your team brought back. Perhaps he has some answers to a few of your questions."

I had wondered what had become of the Daraku shinobi; I secretly hoped that they would have to torture him. "There probably isn't much to learn if Orochimaru was willing to discard him."

"Hm," Sandaime appeared to think aloud. "He might not have answers pertaining to Orochimaru, but he might know something about the night you lost your clan."

At this, I perked up, "Perhaps. But it doesn't do much good now. I already know the culprit."

"We will have to wait and see." Itachi spoke up. He wasn't wearing his mask now and I saw the fatigue in his visage. I wondered if it was the genjutsu that tired him or something else.

"That genjutsu…" I looked at him questioningly, "what was it?"

He arched a brow, "It captures the opponent in an alternate world—a separate mental reality—and makes their bodies believe they are actually receiving the pain of the genjutsu. That particular one used stakes that pierced her body and held her in place." My expression must have looked slightly horrified because he smiled gently. "I knew it wouldn't push her to the point of death, but she would be too weak to resist."

"I can't use genjutsu at all." I stated, looking away, "It's probably a good thing."

"I imagine you could break out of it easily with training, due to the nature of your chakra flow." Sandaime entered the conversation. "Since blood must flow to the brain, you could use your chakra vein to overcome the chakra of the genjutsu. Nemain probably didn't know how, if she wasn't accustomed to fighting opponents like Itachi."

"If Nemain had had the strength, she would have shielded her mind with her chakra. She has fought against genjutsu before." I defended her, "Plus, she didn't know about Itachi's Sharingan."

"Some genjutsu," Itachi countered, "cannot be shielded against."

He didn't elaborate and I didn't get a chance to ask before Sandaime changed the subject. "Now that we know that Orochimaru is involved, it will change things a bit. He is a former Konoha ninja and he's dangerous. Investigative measures must be taken, but I sense that if he is planning something, he is still only in the plotting stages. Preventative action will come as we learn more. He has a vendetta against Konoha and, just as you expect to see Nemain again, I too will one day fight Orochimaru." The Third Hokage paused as if in memory. "Let's hope that day does not come soon."

I glanced at him curiously, sensing that there was a story between the two. One that I didn't feel comfortable breaching. I gave Itachi a sidelong look, but he was noncommittal. I would have to ask him later.

"I will call you sometime later in the week for the next assignment. Until then, I'd like you to rest Aian. Itachi you have work among your clan to accomplish, I assume?"

"Yes."

"I'll expect a report at the first notice of something new."

"Of course."

Sarutobi glanced at both of us carefully. Itachi, who knelt on one knee in deference, and me, who stood in quiet defiance. He smiled, "Oh, one last thing, Aian."

I was already wandering off into my other world, but the sound of my name brought me back rapidly, "Yes?"

"Would you like to become a shinobi of Konoha?"

At this question, I started a bit. "You mean as a full member of Konoha?"

He laughed in good humor, "Well, yes. Unless you have heard of partial Konoha shinobi?"

It was a generous offer. Sarutobi was attempting to give me a home within his village. At least, that was what I wanted to believe. But part of me questioned the sincerity of it. Did he want to keep me for me or just because of my power? I was always weary of kindness, especially now after Nemain's betrayal.

"Thank you." I began, "It's a kind offer, but I'll have to think about it."

My expression was troubled and I fought to remove it before he sensed my thoughts. I bowed informally to take my leave and headed briskly for the exit. I heard Itachi and the Hokage exchange a few words just as I shut the door behind me.

* * *

It was growing dark as I stepped outside. I gave a fleeting glance to the sky and then set out down the street, oblivious to my direction.

"You're moving rather quickly to be walking towards nowhere." As he was prone to do, Itachi was hiding so that I couldn't pinpoint his location.

I kept walking, ignoring him, and he stepped out of the shadow of a nearby building to walk at my side. "You should accept the Hokage's offer."

I snorted, "It figures that you would say that."

"What harm is there in it?" He questioned, "It's never a bad thing to have a place to call home."

"I've never needed one before." I countered without looking at him, half-wishing that he would give up and leave.

"Ah, you can't relinquish the old for the new." He murmured more to himself, I think, than to me. "Your clan _was_ your home."

I stopped dead in my tracks, forcing him to come up short, and turned on him fiercely. "What more does Konoha want with me?"

He remained stoic, "I don't know the Hokage's intentions. Or why he wishes you to join the village." He paused, briefly, waiting to see if I would allow him to continue. "But Sandaime is not using you for personal gain."

"And as for me…" He glanced away, hesitating, and then suddenly I saw something light up in his eyes. A thought or an idea. "Come with me."

Itachi never showed much emotion. It was clear to me that he cared for the village and that he greatly respected Sandaime, but his expressions were always meticulously impassive and quietly sad. It was the first time that I had seen him excited.

"To where?"

He smiled, then. "Home."

I hesitated, "You mean…to your family house?"

The idea of meeting his family terrified me. I had intended to meander throughout the night, thinking over my experiences from the day, but it was clear that Itachi intended to prevent it.

"You've been through enough recently Aian." He was good at reading my thoughts from my expressions, and I hated it. "Let it go."

As he had done on the roof just a couple of hours earlier, he once again offered his hand. I started to reach out, and then hesitated, suddenly unsure. I searched his features, trying to read him, trying to understand. What was all of this about? It was as if we had been destined to meet, I thought. Then something struck me, "It was you who carried me here from the Snow Country, wasn't it?"

He nodded, "I was leading the ANBU team in response to the missive."

I wasn't sure that I believed in fate. I wasn't sure about anything anymore. And maybe that would pass with time. Maybe I would regain my footing and find some place for myself in the world of shinobi. But for now, it was all a distant dream. I was still wandering at heart, but without a place to wander. And I was still searching for a home, even when one sat at my feet. However, with Itachi, it felt different. He was here and he was real. He was offering me something different when he said the word home—something beyond my current understanding of the word itself.

And as I placed my hand into his, feeling the confidence in his grip as he pulled me in the direction of the Uchiha clan, I knew that I would probably follow him anywhere. Perhaps fate did exist in the grand scheme of things, and perhaps he was the beginning of something new in my life. Maybe he would show me the path to take.

"Your family won't mind?" I asked, stupidly searching for words.

He snorted almost playfully, "Don't be absurd. My little brother will be excited to meet you."

_You have a brother?_ Was my first thought. And I realized, at that moment, that there was still very little that I knew about Itachi. In retrospect, he knew a great deal more about my situation than I knew of his. And it bothered me slightly, but it was refreshing in a way—to carry no one else's burdens but my own.

* * *

The Uchiha Clan had a separate part of town all to themselves, which I found to be a bit odd. I knew from my recent studies of Konoha that there were several special clans associated with the village, but none of the others were sectioned off. I almost ventured to ask, but I had a feeling it would probably be a longwinded answer, and I'd had too many longwinded answers for one day.

Itachi didn't seem to mind. He walked beneath the gate that set the boundary and I followed curiously. He had released my hand, but I remained close to him, feeling out of place. There were people outside on the main street, cleaning up for the day or preparing to head home. Several of them waved and greeted him with enthusiasm, and he responded politely to each one.

The symbol of his clan decorated the buildings and the clothing of the people. It was a fan colored in red and white. Their pride was unmistakable and I felt a pang of envy. My clan had been proud too.

"You have brought a friend today?" An elderly woman asked as we passed her bakery. She was sweeping the porch and smiling at us fondly. There was no reservation or suspicion in her gaze and I relaxed.

"Yes Uruchi-san," Itachi stopped, "this is Aian."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Aian-san. Itachi-kun is a wonderful ninja. The pride of our clan!"

She doted on him like she would her own son, and I returned her smile. "Yes, he is quite talented."

"He was a child prodigy! Did you know that he activated his Sharingan at only eight years old? He—"

Itachi shook his head, interrupting her before she could say more, "We must get going. My family will be waiting."

"Oh, of course! I hope to see you again sometime, Aian-san."

Itachi pulled my arm gently, leading me away. "She can go on sometimes. I'm sorry."

"A prodigy?" I teased, suddenly feeling more light-hearted than I had in days. "You must be quite powerful."

"She thinks too highly of me." He stated humbly, clearly embarrassed with the praise.

I laughed then, surprising him. It was the first time he had heard me laugh. "There are a lot of demands that come with that title, you know."

"From the sound of things, you were considered one too."

I shrugged, "Possibly. For all the good it did."

Our conversation ended at the entrance to his home. He slipped out of his shoes before entering and I followed suit, unaccustomed to household etiquette.

"Itachi is that you?" I heard a woman's voice call from a back room. It took everything I had not to bolt out the door right then.

"I'm home." He responded softly, "And I brought a guest."

"Nii-san!" A boy came dashing from around the corner, stopping only when he was a mere three inches away. "You're home early! Dad isn't home yet."

I took the opportunity to study the child. He couldn't be more than eight years old. His hair resembled Itachi's, but it was short and stood up at angles. And his eyes were bright with youth.

"Sasuke, this is Aian."

The boy seemed to notice me for the first time, and he sized me up with a quick glance. "You are a shinobi too?"

I nodded, still unsure of speech.

"A part of ANBU?"

"You know that you shouldn't ask that." Itachi reprimanded him fondly. He turned to me, motioning me to follow, "Come and I will introduce you to my mother."

We passed through a couple of rooms and entered the kitchen where his mother stood over a pot, finishing the dinner preparations. When she heard us enter, she turned to welcome us home. Her expression was so kindly, so welcoming, that my fear evaporated. Her eyes were black like the rest of the clan's, but so soft and thoughtful that I couldn't help but relax.

"Hello, I'm Uchiha Mikoto, Itachi's mother."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Aian. Thank you for allowing me into your home."

She smiled radiantly, "The pleasure is mine, Aian-san. Itachi rarely brings anyone home; he is usually so busy. It's good to see him with a friend." She turned to Sasuke, "Sasuke, please set a place for our guest."

Itachi took his place at the table, sitting upon the mat. I slid into the place next to him, watching his mother inconspicuously as she hummed quietly to herself. My mother had never done anything like this. I spent more time with Nemain and Devi than my actual family. In a sense, the vashna _was _my family. We ate together, trained together, and slept around the same fire. I saw my parents at clan meetings, but rarely in between.

Mikoto placed a pot on the table and began to fill our bowls. "What is your family name?"

I hesitated; not even Sandaime knew it. I considered it a part of the past, dead like the rest of my clan. And I was content to leave it in its grave. But like the name Uchiha, my family name also carried a history, a life of its own. It was my heritage, and sitting there, in the midst of this family of a powerful clan, I too wanted to share in that legacy. Yet, after having fought Nemain just hours earlier, I couldn't bring myself to accept it.

"I don't have one." I finally replied.

"You are not a Konoha shinobi?" Her question caught me off guard, but I couldn't help but admire her attention to detail. Her kindness was real, but I was willing to bet that she was a shinobi too.

"No." I responded.

"Mother." Itachi's voice almost sounded like a plea.

"Come now, Itachi, I am trying to get to know our guest." She took a seat across from me and smiled reassuringly, "I meant no offense Aian-san."

I reached for my spoon, diligently working to avoid her gaze. "It's okay. There was none taken."

Suddenly she caught my wrist, causing me to freeze out of sheer amazement at her speed. "You're hurt." She gave a piercing glare, full of accusations, in Itachi's direction, "You didn't bring this to my attention?"

I fought to withdraw my wrist, trying not to panic. I didn't want to explain the cuts to her. Not to this kind woman, whether she was Itachi's mother or not. "It's nothing Mikoto-san; I have cleaned them already. Please, don't trouble yourself over it."

"Nonsense!" She exclaimed, rising without touching her food and coming to my side. "It'll only take a minute."

I didn't have a choice but to forfeit myself to her care. She glanced long and hard at the cuts, which I _had _already cleaned, and I thanked every god I could think of that there wasn't any remaining traces of my silver blood. Without a word, she stood and left the room, only to return moments later with a salve and bandages. I looked helplessly at Itachi, which transformed into a glare once I saw that he was merely attempting to hide his amusement.

Within a matter of minutes, my forearms were dressed and bandaged. Mikoto had been careful but remarkably efficient, and when she was satisfied, she withdrew and took her place at the table.

"T-thanks," I stammered, embarrassed. I didn't have to look up, even as I attempted to eat, to know that she was watching me.

"How old are you?" Sasuke's interruption was almost a relief. Almost.

I paused to think, "Sixteen, maybe."

"You don't know?"

I put my spoon down, suddenly too nervous to eat. "It never really seemed to matter—to my clan, that is."

"You are part of a clan," he asked, intrigued, "like ours?"

"That depends on the comparison." I replied vaguely.

He thought about it for a second, "Where did you live?"

"Many places. We traveled around. Most recently, we were in the Snow Country."

"Ah, it was you…" Mikoto stated aloud in recognition, preventing Sasuke from asking more disorienting questions.

"Brother?" Sasuke's attention switched to Itachi, "When will we train together again?"

"Soon, Sasuke." Itachi replied a bit guiltily.

Sasuke didn't seem to believe him, "You say that every time."

"That's because he is busy, Sasuke."

I jumped at the sudden entrance of Itachi's father. He took his seat at the head of the table without a word to me. His mouth was almost permanently set in a frown and his expression was stern, unapproachable.

At this point, I was trying to figure out why Itachi had ever thought that bringing me into his home was a good idea.

"Aian, this is my father Uchiha Fugaku, leader of both the Uchiha clan and the Konoha Military Police Force."

Our eyes met and I held my ground, refusing to allow his stare to intimidate me. I bowed my head in greeting, "That is impressive, Fugaku-san."

"Ah, you are the Seikatsu."

I felt Itachi tense beside me, but I managed to remain impassive. Having just heard his position of power, it didn't surprise me that he knew. "Yes."

"I have heard notable things about you."

At this I straightened, "I have heard and seen similarly notable things about the Uchiha clan."

My acknowledgement of his clan seemed to erase any reservations from Fugaku and he settled down to eat. Itachi visibly relaxed as well. Apparently, his biggest fear had been my meeting with his father. But to me, his father closely resembled some of the Seikatsu elders: strict, proud, and filled with expectations. That was much closer to home than the kindness of his mother, and much easier for me to understand.

* * *

The rest of the meal managed to pass without incident, and finally Itachi's mother chased us out so that she could clean up. Fugaku remained behind to speak with her, and Itachi and I left the house, leaving a disappointed Sasuke behind.

"Your brother idolizes you." We had been walking for quite a few minutes, lost in our own thoughts, before I chose to break the silence.

"He envies me as well."

"Maybe so," I agreed, "but only because he wants to be just like you."

"I hope that doesn't happen." Itachi spoke to the wind, thinking of something beyond our conversation.

"You are the pride of your clan." I mused.

He frowned, "It's a burden."

"I was the pride of mine too, I think. I didn't know any differently." I paused to gauge his thoughts and to see if he had anything to add, but his façade remained unreadable. "But, I think I understand that burden. The burden of having to make choices."

"In Konoha, we call the spirit of the people—the determination of the shinobi and their desire to protect the village and its people—the Will of Fire. It is a name given for the country in which we live, but also the flaming spirit of our youth to inherit the will of the next generation. You too have inherited the will of your clan," Itachi added quietly, "whatever that will is. The responsibility of carrying on that will is both a duty to your people and a duty to yourself."

"I don't know the will of my clan." I answered bitterly, "But the only duty I had was the duty to my vashna. The clan came second."

"What was your duty to the vashna?" Itachi asked.

"To protect them with my krynura. To ensure their survival."

"And Nemain's?" He continued.

"To protect us with her shields so that the enemy could not harm us."

"And Devi?"

I looked at him, trying to follow his train of thought. "To protect us from death by healing our wounds when we failed to fend off the enemy entirely."

He smiled his same melancholy smile, "I think you have found your answer. If you were to take that same singular desire and apply it to the villagers of Konoha, you would be a shinobi worthy of this village. You would acquire the Will of Fire and become a true member." He paused then, "Sandaime wouldn't have offered you a permanent position among his shinobi if he didn't think you could obtain and understand the principles of that will."

"To protect…" I thought about it, "In the grand scheme of things, Itachi, which would you protect: the will of you clan or the will of your village?"

He didn't answer immediately, and when I caught his stare, I found myself looking into the void of his eyes. They were dry of emotion, almost deadened by my question. It was enough to halt my footsteps, but he didn't seem to notice. His mind had flown off to the ends of his thoughts, leaving me behind to merely question it. Finally, he realized that I had quit moving, and he too ceased all movement.

"I would choose the village first." He stated with much reserve. "Always."

"Why?" I pressed, sensing that something was on the horizon. A revelation about Itachi that I had been struggling to understand since our introduction, when he had stopped me from leaving the village.

There was a long silence and I wasn't entirely sure that he heard me. His breathing was steady and he resumed his walking, but he had that faraway look again. That look that kindled nothing but regret. Suddenly his stance changed and he stiffened. "This clan refuses to adapt. It cannot relinquish the past nor see the good in the new. Things change with the tide of time, but the Uchiha fear what may come of those changes—even the things that they do not yet know. They fear how it might affect them in the future, and focus solely on that. Everything, to the Uchiha clan, revolves around the Uchiha clan."

His voice had grown suddenly angry; it was a reserved anger, without real heat, but it simmered beneath the surface of every tactfully given word, every well expressed thought. "You see, Aian, the pride that Sandaime places in Konoha. The respect he grants to each shinobi that fights in the defense of the village. All the other clans put the village before themselves, but the Uchiha have never been like that. They are incapable of cleansing themselves of their selfishness, and working towards a common goal of unity." He paused in thought, narrowing his eyes in a quiet personal discovery. "They speak of unity as if it is merely a fragmented ideal—something they can control on a whim with promises, and then shatter when it conveniences them."

"Konoha strives for peace among its villagers and with other shinobi villages. But the Uchiha Clan is tainted—it knows how to strive for nothing but war. We have a history that is ravaged by more bloodshed and betrayal than even your own, and we do nothing to make it better."

I couldn't find words of consolation for something I didn't quite understand. I could not possibly comprehend the depths of Itachi's words at that time or the emotional turmoil haunting the shadows in each of his thoughts. But I sensed the despair and the strife; I sensed the plague of burden and the echo of choices. He was torn in half by his loyalties—by love for both his family and his village, and whatever stood at the edge, whatever divided the two, was slowly tearing him apart.

"It is our job as shinobi to protect what is important to us." I inhaled quietly, "But also to protect the visions of our ideals—the dreams of the future generation. That is the Will of Fire, correct?"

"Yes. That is the idea."

"Then, it seems to me that no matter what choices you make," I began, "so long as you remain loyal to that idea, loyal to the ethics of your life, then you retain the Will of Fire. And if that is your goal, then whatever happens in the long run will be worth the decisions that you make. You can find some comfort in the fact that you have protected what is most important to you."

He seemed slightly perplexed at my answer, as if rolling around the idea of it in his mind. I had no doubt that he could make sense of it all, but it came down to the matter of application. I couldn't begin to guess what had started him on that quiet rant, or why he chose to disclose even that little bit to me. It didn't tell me everything, but everything was irrelevant at the moment. I didn't have to know everything behind those words to know that there was something happening—he was the center of something of which he could find no escape.

Maybe he looked to me for answers, even though I didn't know the extent of his question, because I too was dealing with issues of identity and issues of my clan. I had lost everything I had ever known in one night because of the betrayal of my shinobi sister—a person closer to me than blood ties had ever been. And she too was gone like all things go, to the edges of the fray and to an abyss beyond my grasp. I had to start over, to change and mold myself to a new will, a new form of self-knowledge. I had been awake in the Seikatsu, awake to my duties there in the Snow Country, and my loyalty to my clan, but to the rest of the world I had been blind. The inner individuality that I now faced—the choices I had to make that I had never had to make before—were slowly arising from their dormant slumber. In a sense, I was finally growing up. I was finally beginning to understand, just from being in Konoha—a world so very different than the one I had known—what it meant to be a shinobi.

"What is it?" I pleaded, suddenly worried by the seriousness of his expression, the gravity of his confession.

"I wish I could tell you," he finally whispered, and I heard the pain then, clearer than the death bell of the village. As if it too would toll for him should it decide to ring. "But it is a burden that I alone can carry."

And though it wasn't really ringing, I heard the bell in my mind, a sound so clear and sonorous to celebrate a life well lived and mourn its passing, climbing to the top of its scales in an endless harmony, come to an abrupt halt. Silenced by the finality in his solitary acceptance of whatever task he faced, as if the chime itself could not extend a grip and accept him into the world of an afterlife.

As if, in the end, Itachi's soul could not be saved.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I promise I have an excuse for the slow update. Really. I was on a roadtrip for three weeks. Fifteen states :) Anyway... Thank you Tex Mix for the review! I was having trouble with this chapter and rewrote it a couple of times, but when I read your review, I made myself sit down and finish it (over the course of a couple of days, of course)! Knowing I have readers, even a small following, is worth the time to write. Thanks a ton!**

**-Bay**

**Chapter Nine**

Fate works in odd ways, assuming it exists. Though I'd never placed a particular belief in fate, having always believed that I was responsible for producing any significant outcomes in my life, I was starting to have more and more faith. Surely everything had to happen for a reason? Because if it didn't, how was I where I was now? Freer than I'd ever been in my life. I was freed from wandering at the dictates of the Seikatsu. Now, if I chose to wander, I could do so at my own leisure and will. I could choose when and where. On the other hand, I was also free to have a home, to make something _mine,_ if I chose to do so. To claim a permanence that had never before held a presence in my life. But best of all, I was free to do as I did now. I was free to have fun without the risk of repercussions. To ride Seri through forests and open fields, to gallop and let my heart take wind.

The trees were blurs of green in my vision. I could smell the pine and hear the cries of distant birds, but everything else passed as if a slideshow of nature. It was overwhelming, an airy feeling that carried me above the world, above all things that affected me in daily life. Her hooves echoed through the canopy of trees and I listened to the familiar sound of her breathing as each powerful stride carried us farther and faster.

My hands were woven securely through her black mane and I gripped her sides, but I had little fear of falling. Riding Seri was second nature. Every move she made would mirror my thoughts, as if we were merely two partners in a dance.

I don't know how long she ran. I don't know how far. But I was happy that my mind fled me for a bit, leaving me in the present. Content, almost, because I didn't have to consider the past.

Seri finally dropped to a walk as we travelled along a stream. When she found a suitable spot to rest, she halted and dipped her muzzle into the water, inhaling large refreshing gulps.

I slid from her back and slipped out of my boots, perching on a rock that overlooked the slow trickle of the brook. I glanced up and could see the stone faces of the mountain in the distance between the trees. Seri must have started to circle around at some point.

"You are the happiest that I've ever seen you." She approached from the side and nudged me.

I laughed quietly, "Yes, I suppose I'm happy."

"Have you considered the Hokage's offer?"

My smile faded, "I've thought about it."

"And?"

"And I don't think that I want the commitment." I told her hesitantly, but proceeded before she could interrupt, "I don't want to be tied down to a village. Losing the Seikatsu was a terrible thing; it changed my life. But it also granted me the opportunity to truly _live_. I just want to roam, to go where I'm needed…or just to _go_. I don't care where…"

Seri was silent for a moment, but it was a thoughtful silence. Finally, she sighed, "Aian do you remember the two weeks you spent wandering around the Snow Country, running from the Daraku?"

I raised a brow warily, "…yes?"

"You were alone."

"Yes, I was." And then I added, "But I was also running from death."

Seri raised her head, meeting my gaze. "You've always had someone travelling with you. Nemain and Devi. The clan. But, it just seems foolish to run off now when you can finally stand still. What about Itachi?"

I hadn't thought about Itachi. He had left to do a mission for the Hokage the day after I met his family. "He wants me to stay."

"Joining the shinobi of Konoha won't make you the Hokage's slave, you know."

I leaned back on the rock, glancing up at the sky, "What if I'm done with being a shinobi?"

Seri snorted, "You could no more quit being a shinobi than I could quit being a horse. It's who you _are_, Aian."

"It's who I _was_. And even then…" I tried to maintain a steady voice, "Was I really a shinobi? Running around and fighting the Daraku? Who was I protecting? What was the _point_? Seri... I don't know what to do. The life of a shinobi means something different here. Something I don't entirely understand."

"Then learn. You can't just run from it. You can't fear it because it's unknown." She countered, and deep down I knew she was right.

Back in the Snow Country, I'd always seen life as a circle, as a series of repetitions. Now, however, I understood that life was a circle with arms. It moved off in various paths, breaking tradition and complacency. No path is truly linear, but not all paths have an end. A shinobi's life was much the same way. We lived for one thing—for the thing we chose to protect—and then we fought for it. It was a circular tradition, never ending. Something always had to be protected. But, the ways in which we fought and protected could vary. They branched off like the tunnels within caves. One moment one could walk the circular path of duty, only to find herself wandering the darkened tunnels of the unknown.

In truth, I was afraid to accept the Hokage's offer because I didn't know how it would end. Granted, I hadn't known how my life with the Seikatsu was going to end either, but I never had to question _where_. It didn't matter so long as I had the vashna. At least, it hadn't mattered to me.

I had to embrace this opportunity. Nemain had wanted the security of a stationary home bad enough to kill for it. I was not so inclined, but part of me wanted the experience. Ten years down the road, I wanted to look someone in the eyes and have the capability of saying that I was _from_ somewhere. Seri and Itachi were right. I was _happy_. Happier than I'd ever have the occasion to be, and would walking away from Konoha preserve that happiness? Or was Konoha the reason I was happy in the first place?

Life is a series of questions. They never quit. But they are there for a reason. Questions were my ticket to survival. They provided me with the recourses to make my decisions. The Hokage's offer was not something to discard lightly. I had already worked for him. Part of me, though I couldn't necessarily pinpoint which part, wanted to continue that work.

"Itachi called it the Will of Fire." I spoke aloud.

"The what?"

"The Will of Fire is the will of the Konoha shinobi to live for the village, to protect the villagers, and to bring the next generation forward."

"So what will you do?"

"I guess," I said with a clever smile, my mind made up, "that I'll just have to obtain that Will."

* * *

The sun was beginning to set as we headed back. We weren't far, but my stomach was growling, so Seri picked up a brisk trot.

"Apparently you burn a lot of energy when you make decisions." She joked. I nudged her with my heel in retort.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, "You little—"

But she stopped short at a sound in the distance. Her ears perked forward, and I too tuned into my surroundings. She didn't tense, so apparently we weren't in danger. I waited patiently.

"Sounds like someone is training," I said finally, after another thud pierced the air.

Seri moved forward through the trees into a clearing, and I relaxed in recognition.

"Sasuke-kun."

He was holding several kunai and, after a quick glance, I found targets at odd angles placed throughout the open space—one was even behind a large rock. At closer inspection, I noticed the sweat beading on his forehead and his quick short breaths. He had clearly been at this for some time.

"Aian-san?" His gaze went from me to Seri. "Is she a summon?"

I nodded, "In that sense, yes." I felt her huff, so I quickly added, "But she's more of a friend…"

"What are you doing out here, kid?" She asked in her no nonsense manner. Seri was frighteningly stern when she wanted to be.

"Training." He stated with a shrug, as if it wasn't already obvious. "My brother returns tonight. I want to impress him."

I dredged up the memory of Sasuke's enthusiasm to train with Itachi. He craved his older brother's attention and approval. Itachi was always busy though. Much busier, I realized, than me. At that, an idea came to mind.

Once again I dismounted. "Why kunai?"

"He can hit all of these at the same time." There was pride in Sasuke's voice. "I want to be able to do that too."

"Do you want some help?"

Sasuke gave me another quick stare; this time it was incredulous. "Nii-san is good at this because he has the sharingan."

"And _I_ happen to be a master at target practice." I put on airs a bit, hoping to get Sasuke to bite the bait. My claim wasn't entirely untrue anyway. I'd never heard of a Fighter Seikatsu with bad aim. I wasn't an exception in that respect. "You don't need the sharingan to do that. I bet I can hit them all in one leap."

Sasuke made a noise that sounded suspiciously like suppressed skepticism and then placed eight kunai into my hands. "Fine. If you can do it, you can train with me."

I didn't know how Itachi did it, but I attached the excess kunai to my leg where they would be within easy reach, then moved towards the center of the clearing. "Stand by Seri."

Sasuke did as I asked and I took the opportunity to assess the distances and angles of each target. There were eight on the trees at varying degrees from my current position. There was the one behind the rock, a couple on the ground along the roots, and the rest were placed at different heights on the other tree trunks of differing distances. Needless to say, these weren't optimally placed targets.

There were things other than location to take into account too. For instance, the wind and my own throwing ability. I hadn't thrown a kunai in ages.

"Which ones were giving you trouble?" I ventured to ask.

Sasuke was prompt, "The one around the rock is the hardest because of the angle. And I find that if I'm off by even a little, I can only hit a couple."

I wondered, briefly, if I could just shoot holes in the targets with my kanon and be done with it. I couldn't redirect bullets though. They weren't solid like kunai and shuriken. Attempts to hit a krynura with a krynura resulted in explosions such as the ones that occurred in my battle with Nemain.

Holding four kunai in my hands, I glanced around to pick the four best targets with which to start. _Well, best not screw this up…_

I leapt into the air, zeroing in to focus. The world spread out before me the way it only did when I switched my brain into battle mode. Things were slower then, clearer. My breathing steadied even when my heart raced.

The four in my frontal range of vision were the logical choice. They were not facing me at straight angles, but on the bright side, they were at least in clear view. This was much like doing a blind shot when I couldn't aim. I just needed to predict the angles based on my position in the air and their distances from one another. I released the four kunai, adjusting the throwing power of my fingers to accommodate each one's desired distance.

It was happening so fast, but I felt like I moved in slow motion. I grabbed two more kunai, threw one at a target on a tree behind me, turning in midair to better position myself, and then threw the other one to split them at the correct angle once again. I heard the thud as they hit their marks, and allowed myself the chance to smile in approval.

The rock would be the hardest and I still had one to hit along the roots. I frowned in concentration, trying to think fast; I knew I was running out of time before I landed.

To reach the separate targets, I was going to have to use the kunai against one another. I felt myself grinding my teeth in thought. I had a good eye for distances, but not so much for the mathematical equations that accompanied them. I threw one, ensuring it traveled in the direction of the rock; I waited, intending to use the force of the second to change its angle towards the earth.

But a shadow in my peripheral vision tore my attention away and I flung the kunai without a second's hesitation towards the intruder instead.

I landed briskly on my feet with my hand hovering over the holster of my kanon; in the distance, the clunk of my kunai striking a tree trunk met my ears.

"What was that about?" Sasuke quizzed, walking with Seri towards me.

"I saw someone," I replied, the target practice now forgotten.

There was a rustle in the brush and I tensed, lowering my body into a defensive stance.

"I see you have been working hard, Sasuke." Itachi stepped into view, twirling the kunai on his finger, and I exhaled in quiet relief.

Sasuke ran over in his excitement. "Nii-san! You're home!"

Itachi smiled fondly at his younger brother, knocking him on the forehead with his finger when he was less than an arm span away. I observed this with interest—this moment of brotherly affection and the bond of blood ties—then took the opportunity to locate the kunai, discovering with a passing glance that it had indeed lodged itself firmly in the trunk of a tree.

Seri shifted and came to stand next to me, causing Itachi to look up in my direction. His expression was unreadable, but his words were slightly amused. "Not bad." He held out the kunai, "I believe this is yours."

"You're mocking me." It wasn't a question. "And, had you not snuck up on me, I would have had those targets."

He worked to keep his façade, but his words were profoundly light-hearted. "Oh, no. It was never about your target hitting abilities. I meant your perceptive senses are good to have noticed me."

"Should have just shot you..." I grumbled, trying to hide my own amusement. "Keep the kunai. Sasuke has already bragged enough about you. Might as well just show me."

At this suggestion, and in wordless agreement, Sasuke tore off towards the targets to collect the other kunai.

"I'm assuming that the mission went well?" I hazarded to ask, taking the moment to inspect him. He looked fatigued, but whatever the mission entailed, he hadn't sustained any injuries.

He nodded, "It was mostly a border scouting mission."

I didn't ask him to elaborate. It wasn't my business in the first place, so I changed the subject instead. "I thought about the Hokage's offer to become a full fledged member of Konoha."

This caught the whole of his attention, but he waited quietly for the disclosure of my decision.

"I'll do it."

He smiled genuinely, "I'm glad to hear that. Have you told Hokage-sama?"

"Not yet. I was heading back to the village when I stumbled upon Sasuke. I figured I'd try to help him out."

"Thank you," Itachi eyes were on Sasuke, "I'm not the older brother that I should be."

"That's not—" I started to argue, but was interrupted when Sasuke approached holding all of the kunai.

Itachi took them and moved towards the center without another word. His face had changed also; he was turning inwards to whatever drove him, to whatever mental exercise blocked the outside world out. I had to hand it to him. When he focused, Itachi _focused._ The passive and distant expression he normally wore was replaced entirely by something resolute and formidable.

His eyes were closed and his arms were crossed with three kunai in each hand. There was a pause in his movements; it was subtle—like an extra breath or a passing thought—but it suggested a shift in something within, as if something dormant had awakened.

Then he made his move, leaping into the air and flipping upside down to gain momentum. Almost faster than I could see, Itachi sent all six kunai soaring towards the higher targets. Within less than a breath, he had already drawn the final two and thrown them before the first ones had hit. The last one struck the handle of the other, forcing it to down towards the target behind the rock. All eight of them slammed into the center marks with a simultaneous thud.

He flipped down onto one knee, using his hands for balance. I almost approached him then—my awe evident in every visible feature—but the look on his face stopped me. His eyes were red, exposing his sharingan, but the force of that gaze, the wildness that he fought to contain, flamed and burned, and once again I had the startling suspicion that I was witnessing yet another of his small leaks in composure. It was as if he revealed the heart of everything in that one look, releasing it through the kunai that he threw. Perhaps by striking his targets he could lash out at whatever internal demons he fought. But by the hidden rage of his stare, I knew that it merely suppressed them, not destroyed them.

I wasn't sure anything could.

Sasuke jumped forward. "You did it brother!" And in his excitement, he withdrew two kunai, "Alright! I'll also—"

This awoke Itachi to reality and he stood up, "Sasuke. Let's go home soon."

He had extinguished whatever fire had been ignited in that fleeting display and replaced his mask—the mask of shaky happiness and restless worry that I couldn't overlook.

Sasuke pouted at Itachi's suggestion, arguing with him. I was the outsider looking in, watching these two siblings and their fondness for one another. I couldn't fathom how Itachi considered himself a failure to his brother. He was a role model, a friend, and a guide to Sasuke…even if he couldn't be there at every second.

"Forgive me Sasuke." I heard Itachi say, and watched as he flicked his brother in the forehead once again. "Another time."

But Sasuke was determined. He grinned suspiciously and held up the kunai, "Brother, watch me."

There was a cry for acceptance beneath that self-confidence, that determination. Sasuke wanted nothing more than his brother's doting attention; he wanted, I realized, nothing more than to reach the star that had Itachi's name carved in it. He wished to overtake him, to be on the same level, to be worthy.

Itachi frowned, "Hey! If you push yourself…"

His worry arrived too late. Sasuke leapt into the air and managed to throw one of the kunai, but when he landed, his foot fell under his weight and he yelped in surprise. I cringed and Itachi rushed to his side, examining the ankle. I waited for him to finish inspecting it, only relaxing when I heard him sigh, "It's only a sprain."

This time I stepped forward. "I can heal it."

Itachi didn't respond until I was kneeling next to him. "This won't hurt him?"

I raised a brow in questioning surprise. "No."

It was better, I decided, not to wait for a response. I grabbed my darya and slid it across my wrist, drawing forth the silver blood. Sasuke gasped, incredulous, and recoiled. "Nii-san!"

"It's fine Sasuke. Aian-san has a bloodline limit." He explained, putting a hand on his younger brother's shoulder for support.

Gently grabbing his leg, I turned my wrist over his foot, allowing the blood to trickle onto the injured ankle. Then with deft hands accustomed to manipulating blood, I massaged it along the skin until it formed a film. Sasuke flinched when I hit a sensitive spot, but otherwise watched with impressive patience. I gave him a reassuring smile, "This may tingle."

I lightly placed my fingertips on above the ankle and closed my eyes. The blood connected me to him. Through it I felt his chakra flowing throughout his body, and if I strained my concentration, I could feel the rhythm of his own beating heart as it pushed the circulating blood along its way. I searched for the irregularities in the feel of that circulation and then, once I found the spot of the injury, applied my own chakra to the blood, allowing his body to absorb it through the bond we held. The typical green chakra associated with healing-nins now surrounded my fingertips. Sasuke watched in sheer amazement; if he hadn't been impressed with my kunai throwing, I had definitely won him over with this exhibition.

Back in the vashna, I had not healed anyone other than myself unless it was dire. There was a certain level of intimacy that accompanied it, a certain level that scared the hell out of me. The Seikatsu blood bond seemed to open the windows to the soul. Chakra often fed off a person's emotions—fear, anger, hatred, and pain. This, in turn, transmitted itself to the person doing the healing. It took a great deal of mental control to tune out a rage of emotion. I had never stopped admiring Devi for her ability to separate herself from her patient.

It worked both ways, she had told me once. There was always the risk of encountering the raw emotions of a wounded patient, but she also had the ability to use the bond to soothe and encourage. She had been talented enough to focus her own energy, her own chakra, and use it as an anesthetic. In doing so, she could take away the pain of injuries, the fear of dying.

_Devi…who was there to ease your pain, your fears? I should have been there…_

It was my own personal emotion that nearly wiped me off my feet. I was thankful I'd already withdrawn from Sasuke; there was no way I could have avoided sharing this with him. The sudden sweeping feeling of loss, the guilt, and the desolate thought of Devi's solitary struggle. She who had always lent a hand at the side of the dying ended up dying all alone.

I'd done remarkably well with shuttering any haunting emotions that had remained after the annihilation of my clan. I had been able to smile, to laugh, to feel at home in Konoha. But the deaths of my best friend and the rest of the Seikatsu could not be erased—even despite my best attempts. Time might heal the ache, but there would be lapses, there would still be memories. There was a point where not even time could protect me from that painful reminder.

Devi had died at the hands of Nemain and that wretched Orochimaru. And what did I have to show for it? Nemain was still lost to the greed and power. And better yet…what about me? I was walking around as if nothing had happened, talking of freedom and the future. But what future existed for Devi? Nothing. There wasn't one. Because I had failed…I had failed to observe and prepare. I had failed to—

"Aian?"

A hand touched my shoulder and I shot out of my trance, shaken.

"I'm sorry," Itachi withdrew, "you looked…troubled."

"It was nothing." I suppressed a shudder and forced a smile before he could ask anything else, then glanced at Sasuke, "Feel better?"

He nodded, still speechless.

"Good." I rose to my feet, but swayed with sudden dizziness. Seri was at my back before I could say a word and I nearly turned to hug her right there. I managed to hold my composure instead. "Don't let him walk on it for a bit."

Itachi helped Sasuke onto his back, "Thank you…" He paused, regarding me with worry once more, "You're sure that you're okay?"

"Of course. It was just a simple sprain."

Itachi didn't look convinced but he said no more about it. "I have an important mission tomorrow, but within a couple days, if you have time, I'd like to train with you."

"Training?"

"I think you should learn to fight against genjutsu." When I didn't say anything, he continued, "Well, more specifically, doujutsu."

I tried not to get defensive. "I know how to counteract genjutsu."

He smiled, humoring me. "You mean you have always had someone else to protect you from it."

"The principles are the same." I countered. "I can still create shields."

"Well, what happens if you are already caught in it?"

I hesitated, and finally shrugged, acknowledging defeat.

"You're on your own now… I think it will be a useful skill to acquire. As Sandaime suggested, with your extra vein, it should be easier for you."

I frowned, but didn't argue. Seri stepped around and I hopped onto her back. "Fine," I said finally, meeting his gaze, "You know where to find me."

Seri began moving off and I felt her tense in preparation for the transition to a faster gait. I raised my hand into the air in farewell as she launched into a rocking canter, and before we could completely disappear, I hazarded to glance behind, calling over my shoulder, "Take care of that ankle, Sasuke-kun."

He waved to me, "Thank you, Aian-san!"

But it wasn't Sasuke I was watching. It wasn't his friendly wave that burned a memory in my mind.

It was Itachi. Itachi who was looking up towards the sky as if it held all the answers. And the pain in his expression—when he could glean nothing from its sunlit clouds or pastel expanse—wiped all of my self-pitying thoughts away. Because for that brief moment, Devi took backstage. Devi was dead; she was free of burdens. But Itachi had the look of one who wished he was dead.

And at that moment, I knew, if I had offered him the opportunity to take Devi's place, in the peace of her grave in a hidden grove of the forest, he would have accepted without one questioning glance to the sky. Because death needed no questioning; it was the end of all. No, in his case, it was the weight of the world—the weight of the world that could provide no answers.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** This chapter has been sitting on my computer for over a year. I didn't post it because I was planning to extend it and then just didn't get around to doing it. I tend to like providing you guys with longer chapters, but I think I'll be more consistent with shorter ones—unless a longer chapter is essential. I am officially taking this story off my 'summer project' status to concentrate on it 'full-time'. I'd like it to receive the same attention as _Life's Stellar Hour_. Rest assured that, despite my past hiatuses from this story, it remains my all-time favorite and thus it will _never_ be abandoned.

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**Chapter Ten**

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My heart thumped in anticipation—the kind of anticipation that still acted as a barrier between excitement and down right apprehension—as I stood motionless in the Hokage's circular office. Sandaime waited in front of his desk, his features semi-obscured by his oddly shaped hat, smiling approvingly. Behind him stood the village elders, their faces impassive and intimidating as they studied me. I couldn't meet their stares; they seemed to question the very reason of my entire existence. As if my presence here wasn't quite worth theirs. I wasn't entirely sure myself, and if I couldn't be sure, then how could they?

Was I doing the right thing? What would I do if I happened to get the urge to run, to wander? Could I just up and leave?

Questions tore through me as questions were prone to do, and I struggled to hide my tension and discomfort. _Why are they making me suffer through this?_ I forced myself to inhale deeply, to think of all the reasons why I _did_ want this. I _wanted_ to become a true shinobi of Konoha… right?

Of course I did.

I lifted my head a little, showing the fierce pride of my own clan, and allowed my eyes to wander over the rest of the spectators. Several jounin flanked me, standing off to the side as witnesses. A couple were familiar, such as Itachi and Kakashi, but the rest were just foreign faces. Nameless. Soon I would be among them, and then, when that happened, would they too become personal? Would they become friends, comrades I would work to protect?

It was hard to say at this point, even harder to say when they watched the ceremony with such formal facades. I wondered if two of them were the ANBU members that had aided in the battle against Nemain. I imagined they would be skeptical, given my previously hasty actions, about allowing me to obtain the status of such a high-ranking shinobi in the village. As for the rest, they knew of me, I had no doubts, but they didn't _know_ me anymore than I knew them. I had attempted to keep to myself, and with the exception of Itachi, I had been largely successful.

"Aian-san." The Hokage beckoned me towards him, and I walked forward obediently, bowing slightly.

"Hokage-sama."

His smile hadn't dimmed and when he opened his mouth to speak, his wise elderly voice enveloped the room, "When I met you in the hospital, you didn't trust me. I was just another leader of another group of shinobi who reminded you of everything you had lost. And even after you began to aid ANBU in the search for the Daraku, and eventually Nemain, you still questioned my motives and looked upon me with suspicion."

My mouth went dry. Was he going to announce this to _everyone_?

He continued, "But, you didn't know the meaning of home. You knew nothing of the Will of Fire, or of Konoha's dedication to care for those in need—even those, like you, who are not our own. I knew this. To you, Konoha was another world with customs and culture that contrasted everything you were raised to believe and practice. We were wrapped in the meaning of something far beyond what you had ever experienced. But its different now, is it not? You have tasted the meaning of home—the meaning of something that has roots. You have tasted the differences and the similarities, and have finally begun to understand."

He paused then, and met my eyes with a meaningful stare, waiting.

"Yes, I suppose that is right," I conceded, looking past him towards the large windows. I remembered similarly staring out of the windows in my apartment at the bustling of the village, the happiness of its occupants, and wondering how it all flowed so smoothly.

"Why did you accept my offer?"

The room was silent, but it was the type of silence that felt heavy, almost like the sudden setting of a fog. My hands writhed together in thought; I sensed that my answer to this question was the most important part of the ritual. This would be the proof of my dedication—and everyone would hear it. At least then, if I answered well, they could not contest my acceptance. Perhaps that was the point of it all in the first place.

I took a deep breath of preparation. "Itachi-san instructed me once about the meaning of Konoha's will—the Will of Fire. I quickly found that it was not an idea entirely foreign to me. The Seikatsu had a Will too. It's not one I can put into fancy words or descriptions. In retrospect, it was almost too simple." I found Itachi's gaze in the crowd and held onto it for strength, "Protect the clan. Protect the vashna. Protect the ways of our world.

"I lived for that Will. I killed for it. The Seikatsu were at war with a clan of equal power, and without our ideals, we would have been destroyed. In fact, it wasn't until my partner betrayed it—the will that held our people up—that the Seikatsu truly fell."

This admission summoned the images of that night, the night where our will failed to uphold itself, and I blinked away the emotional response that would likely follow in its wake.

"I don't know what it means to live and die at the heart of one country or one village. My roots are widespread. I wasn't born in the Snow Country; I didn't train where I was born; I won't die there either. As for my clan…the only roots they hold there are the ones that grow over their bodies. But we had roots in a different way. We were a family."

I hadn't looked away from Itachi; I couldn't. The words that came to mind were more for him than for anyone else present. There was something I felt I needed to say to him, words I felt he deserved. I was still talking to the room, to everyone else, but beneath the surface, my answer was his alone. Because I knew he was the reason I was taking this chance. He was the reason I was becoming a shinobi of Konoha. He was the reason I'd gotten this _far_.

"Since I lost that family, this village has worked to fulfill some of the roles. You found me in the Snow Country, near death, and carried me back here to heal. I was fed and housed; I was introduced to a world that didn't throw me out at the first meeting. You accepted me into ANBU, granted me the ability to find answers. You _trusted _me, even when I held you at a distance—when I was determined to sniff out ghosts that would wake up to haunt me later. And you fought alongside me, allowing me the chance to uphold my pride while preventing it from pushing me into a decision I might later regret."

I shifted, turning back to the Hokage, "I want to give something back. I have a power that can be of use to Konoha, and if I can do what you did for me, if I can bring a little peace to the lives of the people here, then I'm willing to fight for that. Give me the chance to prove that I can. Give me the chance to prove that I belong here."

Sandaime shut his eyes, absorbing the stark honesty of my words; it was the most I'd said in one sitting or in front of so many listening ears. I had laid it out before them all—before the elders, whose gazes had softened into something almost resembling approval, before the other jounin, who I hoped heard my words as an offer of friendship and camaraderie, before the Hokage, who had pushed for my acceptance and my cause, and before Itachi, who had ultimately saved me.

I wanted my voice to carry my words forward and touch each one of them. I wanted it badly enough now to realize that they had even touched me; they confirmed, finally, everything I had previously questioned. This decision was _right_.

The Hokage surprised me with a chuckle, "You are still young, but youth can be an ally. The young often adapt swiftly and change as they must." He turned his back to me and faced the elders, "You have heard her. What is your decision?"

There were three elders: two men and a woman. One of them had bandages covering nearly half of his visible body, and I worked not to stare. But it was the woman who stepped forward, appraising me through narrowed lids, "Sarutobi is right. You are still young. You are also, however, much older than your years." She allowed herself a moment to glance past me, at the motionless jounin. "Konoha has no reason to deny your request."

Sarutobi approached carrying a Konoha forehead protector. The rectangular silver plate had the insignia of the village carved into it and it rested smartly against the black cloth of the band. I accepted it gently, as if it might break at my touch. It was lighter than I expected, but filled with meaning.

"The band is usually blue," I observed without thinking.

Laughter filled the room and I found the grace to blush.

"You usually wear black." Itachi came to my rescue, "It was my suggestion."

I knew that not everyone wore it properly over the forehead, so I didn't feel out of place when I wrapped it around my neck, keeping it somewhat loose so it wouldn't choke me, and tied the knot as tightly as I could. It warmed my skin, and I smiled at its significance.

Sarutobi grabbed my shoulders affectionately and turned me so that I faced the rest of the witnesses. I found a roomful of eyes watching me—eyes that beamed with satisfaction. At that point, I could find no words to express my joy; at least, I could find no words that wouldn't come out in a choke of tears.

"Welcome, Aian," Sandaime said from behind me, sealing the deal. "Welcome to Konoha."

And in the near distance, a distance that sounded worlds away from the present turning of my thoughts, I heard Itachi's soft voice, "Yes…welcome home."

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I have a final task for someone with an outsider's perspective of this story (namely you all, my readers), who has the ability to pack a lot of meaning into just a few words. Meaning… I need someone who can write a decent summary for the summary page. It has to embody the story as a whole while simultaneously capturing the presence of Aian, and it has to draw in new readers. I just don't know how to go about it; I've spent hours—and I mean _hours_—playing with possible ideas. So, if someone can help, please PM me.


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